


Once Upon a time in Auradon

by Angeluscaligo



Category: Descendants (2015), Disney Animated Fandoms, The Isle of the Lost - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Adolescent Sexuality, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Boys Kissing, Bullying, Child Abuse, Consensual Underage Sex, Disembowelment, Dismemberment, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gore, Hugs, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied pedophilia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Knotting, M/M, Marking, Multi, Non-Consensual Touching, Non-Consensual Violence, Oral Sex, Panic Attacks, Parental Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Puberty, Rutting, Scent Marking, Scents & Smells, Werewolf Reveal, Wishes, parental neglect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-04-17 17:37:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 31
Words: 151,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4675475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angeluscaligo/pseuds/Angeluscaligo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompted to write a Jaylos smutt by a curious lack thereof in abundance anywhere. And what better scenario than a movie night under lovers?</p><p>It has now become more, an evolving tale of an alternate universe where the Rotten Four adjust to their new life while the villains on the Isle of the Lost are planning to break out again, as they form a new council of evil to lead them. Hexes, magic & fantastical creatures, the Rotten Four get to know the magic behind the world of Auradon.</p><p>Originally intended as a purely 1-chapter smutt fan-fic, I have decided to continue with it & post several other chapters on it as they are made. I have decided to also include end-notes to explain the introduction of new characters as it goes on - or of certain developments which may seem sudden.</p><p>The first chapter introduces the two core-characters of this fan-fiction, Carlos de Ville & Jay of Agrabah. Further characters include several OC's, namely Janett Portner (daughter of Jane Portner & Tarzan) & Alice (first-born daughter of Aladdin of Agrabah & Jasmine Bint-Hamed of Agrabah).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay & Carlos enjoy a nice night together, watching scary movies. But their nightly cuddles have become boring to Jay, who decides that their relationship should reach its next level.

Finding time together was not easy for Carlos & Jay, juggling their breaks between tourney training, homework, keeping up with Evie or Mal & their general school wide mischief – yet they managed to find it in those precious minutes before classes start & they went to sleep, huddled in each others arms underneath their blankets. Their evenings together, all alone & undisturbed in the dorm, had become very precious to both of them ever since they admitted their affections to each other shortly after the coronation.

After having spent the last five days always sleeping together, Jay was becoming anxious for what he hoped would come next, almost dreading it as he was worried they’d screw up. Carlos had been content just cuddling & softly kissing up until now & even though Jay didn’t mind, he found it to become a bit too much of a routine to his liking as he wanted to feel even closer with the pale boy… He had become restless in the simple repetition their evenings brought, being not at all used to acting relaxed around anyone aside Carlos. On the Isle such behaviour would have gotten you hurt, or worse – as Carlos had known all too well… He had been milling it over & decided to ask Carlos about it, hoping he wouldn’t mind trying to take their physical relationship to the next level altogether.

“Hey, Carlos, what are we gonna do this evening?” Jay asked the question whisperingly beneath the droning voice of Fairy Godmother’s recital upon the nature of kindness, softly bending over towards Carlos as he tried to keep an eye on Fairy Godmother. Carlos thought about it for a few minutes before turning to Jay & whisperingly replying. “I hadn’t really thought of anything else besides just finishing homework, fixing up that old radio & then go to sleep. Why? You plan something?” Jay straightened up & mumbled softly under his breath, as Fairy Godmother had turned around & was looking in their direction. “I’m bored of this routine we’ve got going, even though it’s nice and all. Can’t we do something fun tonight, something more? Go see a movie or something?” Carlos smiled, ruffling his hair before answering back as he avoided Fairy Godmother’s scanning eye before she had turned back to the blackboard. “Sure, man. You pick the movie, okay? I’ll go see whatever movie you choose anyway, you know that.” Carlos was always too eager to please Jay, who smiled at this, fidgeting in his seat – causing Fairy Godmother to look back up from the blackboard at him & she started rebuking him before demanding a recital of the Seven Virtues she had just discussed on her own, causing Jay silently curse beneath his breath as he tried to remember whatever she had just all said. Satisfied by Jay’s at least semi-correct attempt at explaining the Virtues, she let them go a few minutes early as the Rotten Four packed their stuff.

After the first lesson together, the day seemed to drag on, more so than normally, as Jay kept going back & forth over all the movies they got to know since their arrival in Auradon. He didn’t want a soapy drama or romance & was thinking from the start about a thriller they hadn’t seen yet, even though he had no idea which would be the best. After a few hours he still hadn’t decided & had decided to bother Ben about suggestions for a good choice of a thriller, specifying it better not be too scary because he had no mind to keep comforting Carlos through the night due to post-thriller trauma. After a few minutes Ben managed to suggest a movie that really piqued Jay’s interest & struck him as more than perfect for the evening, as it didn’t sound too scary or lame & would make sure the evening ended up with Carlos nestling in his arms. Now the only bother was to tell Carlos – whom he hadn’t seen since the first lesson that morning. Their decisions to each pick a schedule fitted for their own interests had done wonders for them four but it had limited their time together during the day to purely shared lessons & lunch break, somewhat straining their friendships.

Lunch came quicker than any other hour fortunately & Jay sat himself opposite Carlos, next to Evie who was discussing their chemistry homework with Mal. “I found the perfect movie, Carlos” said Jay in an extremely cheery voice for his doing, as he started attacking the meat on his plate while Carlos munched on some tofu. Carlos looked curious, already trying to guess which one it was, but after a few guesses Jay did drop that it was thanks to Ben he got the suggestion, hoping Carlos would stop guessing & just enjoy the surprise. Carlos looked a bit surprised at this, but knowing better than to be jealous decided not to think anything of this – in contrast to Mal who began to barrage Jay with questions as to whether or not Ben told him anything about the next official duty they had to attend together, as she was sure he was not avoiding it to take her with him on many occasions. “It sucks I have to go with him to most of them, seeing how we’re officially together but at least with him around it isn’t a complete bore. But I still hate it. All those prissy princesses who think they know me simply because they saw me defeat my mother.” Mal rattled on for a few minutes as Evie agreed humming from time to time while Carlos & Jay quietly ate their lunch. Lunch was over quicker than expected & after Carlos gave Jay a small peck before hurrying off to class, another four hours trawled themselves like snails before the bell rang the last time.

Seeing how Carlos had technology after studies with Doug & a few other technauts, Jay took his time in arranging everything for the evening when he arrived in their dorm alone. After raiding the kitchen for snacks, snatching a few pillows from several other dorms in a simple feat of silent stealth & relocating a fair share of school-owned candelabras, he felt he had made their dorm just perfect for the night as he started to light the candelabras & finished setting up. When Carlos arrived from after study a dozen minutes later, he was surprised to find the entire couch-area buried in pillows, blankets & sweets as soft candlelight illuminated the room. Jay had just put on the last candles as Carlos dropped his bag behind his bed & changed his clothes into their nightwear, while Jay watched the usual ritual, enjoying the view before Carlos started speaking. “Wow, Jay, did you pillage a fairy castle or what?” Carlos teased him, throwing a pillow at him while Jay too was changing into something comfortable. “Maybe, but we won’t get into trouble if you let me return it all before morning.” He winked at Carlos, making the smaller boy blush of embarrassment, knowing how his stealing habits caused the boy distress over possible consequences whenever he caught Jay doing it. Jay didn’t get caught often luckily & he had let Carlos be happy thinking he always caught him. Though the younger boy never said so, Jay knew it gave him a bit of satisfaction into thinking he could catch Jafar’s thief-son red-handed at any time.

Carlos rummaged through the sweets by the couch as Jay let himself fall into the pillows & pulled the young boy after him as he pressed play, starting the movie. To Carlos, the entire scene of pillows & sweets reminded him somewhat of the stories of genies & their lamps, exotic tales in fabulous eastern countries where pillows were more common than sofa’s or couches as recliners to rest upon. Looking at the dark tall boy besides him, he felt – lucky. Or as lucky as he could feel considering his life, which had never been a nice one until he had met his friends. It never had been easy, but when Jay came into it, it had become more bearable – and at times even enjoyable. Having to scrub his mothers bunions was somehow more doable if it meant he could see Jay sooner afterwards & fool around together. He began to nestle himself into the crook of Jay’s body as the movie started properly, occupying a position he began to know more & more by heart as the days strode by. Breathing out easily, he relaxed in Jay’s arms & watched the movie, sometimes looking up at the dark youth in love when a scary scene came on.

Jay let the boy settle, shifting his arm so that he could easily pet the blonde’s hair & stroke his freckled cheeks, sending happy hums through the lithe body. A few nights ago Carlos had begun to purr sort like, a purring that reminded Jay more of his laugh & smiles than a real purring. Surprised at first, Jay had taken a liking to it – and hearing it had become a sort of goal in itself whenever they would cuddle in bed before sleep. Occasionally picking a chocolate sweet from the table, Carlos rested his head on Jay’s chest through the entire movie, sometimes shifting to put his arm underneath Jay’s back & hug him more tightly as the movie went on. Jay too was beginning to curl himself more about Carlos as the night wore on. By the end of the movie, they had intertwined more like cats than anything else. But they didn’t move when the movie finally ended. Jay felt that Carlos was still awake, feeling the soft purr coming from the youth, as he smiled, thinking how lucky he had been to become friends with Carlos.

When they did move, it was because they had startlingly noticed the time. “Shit, so late already? We’re gonna be late tomorrow if we stay up any longer.” Carlos quickly stepped up, beginning to clean up the pillows before Jay stopped him by wrapping his strong arms about the smaller boys chest & keeping him still from trying to clean up. “Eh, school can wait. Right now I just want to enjoy the evening with you. How did you like the movie? Scared?” Jay asked teasingly, tickling the boy in his sides & lifting him up towards the beds as they laughed together. Carlos’ giggles became louder as Jay went on, before Carlos managed to wiggle his way out of the strong grip of Jay & avoided Jay’s attempts to recapture him. He finally turned around & wrapped his own arms around Jay’s waist, looking the dark boy in the eyes as they giggled. “I’ve never been happier before. It could’ve been a documentary for all I care, seeing how I only need you to enjoy a few hours doing anything.” He smiled, his freckled nose wrinkling as Jay laid his hand upon Carlos’ cheek, softly drawing him closer, and ridding the gap between their lips.

Even though they had kissed often before by now, some kisses still managed to capture both boys by surprise – as softly their lips met & their exhaled breath mingled between them. Pressing gently harder & touching lips with tongue, both boys inhaled through their noses as they rose higher upon their feet. Such kisses always came from the tenderest moments, when their spirits seemed to touch & lift them up. Softly ending it, they began again, harder & less softly this time. They both knew what came from these kisses & neither boy minded. Gently stumbling towards Carlos’ bed, Jay tugged at Carlos’ pants, lifting the smaller boy up & setting him upon the bedside. They stopped & Jay drew back, looking at Carlos in a hazy smile, which the small boy returned in earnest, his eyes gleeful.

Jay adored the boy’s hair, short though it may be. He never dared dye his hair, didn’t think it’d suit him – but on Carlos it seemed just right. The boy’s freckles too seemed only to make him more beautiful as they dotted his cheeks & nose. Carlos too was intently staring at Jay, thinking nearly the same things. He loved to play with Jay’s hair, especially when they were alone. On a few occasions he’d even been allowed to braid it on condition to remove them before the next day. He loved the protective embrace of the taller & bigger boys arms, as he thought he fitted perfectly between them as they lay in bed together – as if made for each other. But more than anything he cherished Jay’s hands, admiring the long fingers & their strong stealthy grip upon his own. Though he never thought about it before, he now knew that he would adorn those fingers with a ring one day – a ring just for themselves, stolen from nobody & earned in honest work.

Being a tad star struck by the younger boys beauty, Jay remained standing still & admiring for a few minutes, prompting Carlos to take the lead for once. He tugged at Jay’s shirt, softly pulling it over the boy’s shoulders & upon his bed board. Inciting Jay to do the same, his shirt quickly followed as their bare chests rubbed together. They stood gazing again for a minute, Jay’s hand softly wandering on Carlos’ side, caressing the freckled chest & stomach, before reaching behind his back & stroking the boys back. Jay knew how sensitive Carlos was, even though the boy had endured many lashings & beatings by his mother & many other people. “Perhaps that’s why,” Jay thought, “why he enjoys a soft stroke so much more. He knows its value.” Jay started sliding the back of his hand over Carlos’ arm, before entwining his fingers with Carlos’ as they kissed again. 

Carlos too was letting his hands wander, now over the muscled chest & shoulders of the dark tanned youth before him, than over his cheek & hair – before dipping down & letting his fingers slowly slip behind the band of Jay’s pants. Taking the hint, Jay moved closer & also put fingers behind Carlos’ pants. They both knew what was going to happen & even though neither had done it before, save perhaps for Jay, both were anxious & excited. Their deep breaths were exchanged between their lips again, closing in on each other & touching in a quiver. Both boys shuttered as they sank upon the bed, Carlos beneath Jay’s greater weight. A moan escaped them, as softly Jay grinded his hips upon Carlos’. This they had done before, several times when they spooned but then they were afraid to do more. It was all still so new & they had agreed to go slow for the time being. But that didn’t matter now, so they felt. It was right, now at last.  
Carlos shuddered from the feeling jay’s grinding brought him, become more assertive in pulling at Jay’s pants, slowly dragging them down & exposing more of the dark boys tanned skin. Jay’s hair enclosed their faces as it fell down upon the bed, tangling with Carlos’ dyed spikes. “Carlos?” Jay breathed heavily, his voice nearly giving away in the tension. “I love you.” Carlos giggled, “I love you too, silly.” Jay’s smile made Carlos’ assertion melt like butter, allowing Jay to take the lead again. He sat up & positioned the boy more right, now laying both on the bed. Carlos still was tugging at Jay’s pants & Jay decided to help him a hand. He placed his own upon Carlos’ hands & slid the pants down to his knees. Clad only in boxer, Jay proceeded to do the same with Carlos, slowly pulling down the spotted shorts till he was out of them. Both wearing only boxers now, Jay’s a satin pair red as sand, Carlos’ a pair of white-dotted black ones, the boys moved towards each other again. Slowly rising, Carlos met Jay halfway & pushed his chest against Jay’s. With a few hairs on it, Jay’s looked much more mature than Carlos’, pale, freckled & hairless.

Jay bend down, trailing soft kisses along Carlos’ neck, nape, collarbone & finally nipple. He stopped for a moment, before slowly kissing them & trailing the tip of his tongue around & over them. The soft sensation made Carlos throw back his head, shudder & moan softly from deep within, a sound like a mix between purring, moaning & whimpering. Hearing it softly, Jay shuddered at it. After a few moments, Jay continued downward, finally reaching the navel & the shorthaired treasure trail Carlos was slowly growing down his loin. Slowly dragging chin, lips & tongue over the soft hairs, Jay’s mouth met the band of Carlos’ boxer. Prying fingers behind it on the sides & biting upon it in front, he slowly pulled down the boxers, freeing the erection Carlos had been sporting since the first kiss minutes ago. Pulling it completely down until his feet were through, Jay put the boxer away with their shorts & shirts, before focussing on Carlos again. Softly kissing the boy’s feet & stroking his shins, fingers trailing through the hair on the boy’s legs, Jay worked his way up along Carlos’ knees & thighs, trailing his tongue along the v-lines of Carlos’ hips. He sat up straight again.

The small boy lay before him, arms by his head, his pale body covered in freckles & scars, small & yet so warm beneath Jay’s own body. Slowly removing his own boxers, Jay slowly laid himself upon Carlos again, their bodies slowly connecting. After softly settling & kissing each other again, Carlos bucked his hips up against Jay’s, nervous & impatient. The sensation ran through the boys, as Jay took the hint & slowly started pressing his own hips down upon Carlos’. Slowly & softly they moaned, naked in the moonlight, kissing now & then before either one went trailing of with their lips over neck & shoulder of the other. Jay slowly sliding over Carlos, Carlos bucking against Jay, both moaned hoarsely as the pleasuring sensation their grinding causes, grew stronger & stronger. Sweat beading on their bodies, Jay kissed Carlos, moaning in his mouth as his hair fell over Carlos’ face.

After a while, Jay felt Carlos wanted more, as did he. Slowly descending again, he once more kissed the boys chest, giving extra attention to the numerous small scars he found dotting Carlos’ chest & stomach. He wanted so desperately to make the negative memories of those scars become blissful remembering’s of their love together. Eventually reaching Carlos’ treasure trail & ending by the small bush of black pubes, he kissed the boys hips, slowly circumventing the most sensitive part & ending up kissing the inside of the boys thighs before going up again. Slowly kissing the boy’s balls, he inhaled the scent of Carlos’ arousal. Though not as strong as it could’ve been, it smelled sweet & hearty to Jay – which surprised him. He went up slowly, until reaching the base of the boys cock. Slowly licking the shaft, Jay took his time before finally reaching the tip, which he gently kissed. Meanwhile Carlos’ moans had become deeper & louder, the moanful whimpering becoming more of a demanding whine – always underlined with that purr of pleasure. Deciding it was now or never, Jay slowly took the tip in his mouth & let it part his soft lips. Slowly taking it deeper, making sure to let it glide over his tongue, he started blowing the dick of the young boy under him who threw back his head in a deep loud moan. Moaning louder & louder, Carlos’ hands gripped the sheets & he slowly began bucking his hips up & down, pushing his dick deeper & less deep into Jay’s warm & eager mouth.

“Fuck,” Carlos thought, “I never imagined this could feel so good. Oh gods!” He bucked harder & harder, eager to enjoy this is much as he could. Slowly breathing though his nose, Jay was surprised at how easy this came to him & how wonderful he found it that Carlos moaned over enjoying him so much. Slowly massaging the boy’s balls, he wandered his hands all over the boy’s hips & back. Trailing away & again back to his bottom, Jay slowly stroked a finger through Carlos’ ass. Surprised at the sensation when Jay’s finger stroked his asshole, Carlos bucked his hips a bit too much, finally causing Jay to gag & remove Carlos’ dick from his mouth. With a thread of saliva hanging from it, Jay regretted letting Carlos’ dick out of his mouth but instead decided it was his turn now. Putting Carlos upright & laying down himself, he let the younger boy do the hard work now. Surprised at this, Carlos decided to mimic Jay’s example & start kissing him in the neck.

Slowly down he went, his tongue trailing through the bush of dark chest hairs Jay sported, enjoying the muscled chest & eagerly licking the nipples of the stronger boy. Down his chest & encountering Jay’s thicker & darker treasure trail, Carlos immediately went for Jay’s dick. Though larger than his own & thicker, he slowly put his lips upon it. Inhaling the musky smell of Jay’s pubes, he slid down the boy’s dick, softly gagging when he had took nearly half of it. The sensation of Jay in him & inhaling the musky scent of Jay, Carlos began to lose himself in eagerness & lust. Deciding not to risk it, Carlos went back up & started blowing Jay on his own rhythm. Jay placed a hand softly on Carlos’ head & softly bucked the boy. “Gods,” he thought in himself as a deep loud moan escaped him, “why does he have to be so perfect in everything?” Softly stroking his own dick while blowing Jay, Carlos took up the speed & kept going. Enjoying it all, Jay didn’t take heed of the time & ere a half hour had passed, suddenly felt an orgasm rising. Deciding against it, he slowly pulled the eager pale boy away from his dick & gave him a long deep kiss, tongues intertwining in each other’s mouth. Now tasting of Jay’s precum & his own unique flavour, Carlos’ longed for this kiss to last.

Finally breaking free, Jay picked up the boy & slowly pulled him upon his hips. His strong erection slowly parted Carlos’ cheeks & softly stroked against the young boy’s asshole. A moan escaped Carlos’, as he bend forward & placed himself upon Jay alike a cat. “Do you want to try it?” Jay asked Carlos, who did nothing but whimper a whine & nod. Slowly lubricating Carlos’ hole, Jay positioned his dick against it & slowly pushed. Carlos whined, biting down into Jay’s collarbone & panting deeply. Seeing how the bite already caused a bruise & preventing the boy from drawing blood, Jay paused. Waiting before he hurt him, Jay let Carlos relax. When calmed, Carlos slowly pushed against Jay’s dick & surely let it enter him. “Fuck, “Jay thought, “He’s too tight. He’s gonna hurt himself!” Trying to pull back, Carlos stopped Jay & hoarsely whispered. “It’s okay, Jay. I’ve had worse pain & I’m getting used to it. Just… Just let me do it, okay?” Deciding Carlos knew best, Jay simply nodded & embraced Carlos as the teen slowly slid down on Jay’s hard cock, moaning in pain & ecstasy. After the head of Jay’s dick went in, it became easier for Carlos to bear & before long, he had worked Jay completely into himself, burying him deep within. Waiting a few minutes for Carlos to get used to the feeling, Jay restrained himself not to start thrusting into the boy. The tight feeling of the virgin hole of Carlos made Jay nearly curse in excitement as lust made him pant in expectation. Carlos had wrapped his arms around Jay for the time being & slowly grinded upon the erection in him, getting used to the size & girth of it filling him up from within. He breathed deeply, feeling how Jay’s large dick stretched his asshole wider than anything else before, lust was beginning to overwhelm Carlos again, the musky & sweaty scent of Jay filling his every thought.

Slowly, Carlos pulled back, nearly pulling it completely out before slowly sliding back down. Causing a rhythm, Jay decided it was safe to slowly start thrusting & he bucked his hips gently against Carlos’. After a while they had begun a steady pumping & were again both moaning deeply & loudly, enjoying a sensation of perfect connection. Sitting upright now, Carlos was again stroking his own erection on the rhythm of Jay’s bucking. One hand holding his own erection & the other wandering over Jay’s chest, Carlos loved this feeling of Jay deep within him. After a while, both boys started to feel their orgasms rise from deep within. Jay felt it firstly, hoarsely whispering to Carlos that he was going to come in him, tellingly asking the boy if this was okay. Carlos, enjoying the heat of the moment too much to care, merely moaned a hoarse “yes” & started stroking faster. After only a few more thrusts, the orgasm filled Jay with a sensation of complete bliss as he ejaculated deep within the pale boy in whom he was nestled. Aroused by Jay’s moans & the throbbing feeling of Jay’s ejaculation within him, Carlos’ own orgasm rose & made him shudder in pleasure as strings of cum escaped him & smeared Jay’s chest & abdomen. 

Both exhausted from their prolonged union, Carlos collapsed upon Jay while Jay’s erection was still nestled deep within him. Smearing the strings of cum on Jay’s chest upon his own, Carlos meekly kissed Jay again, whispering sleepily, “Best movie-night ever.” Chuckling at this, Jay merely wrapped his arms around Carlos, trying to cover both of them in the blankets upon the bed. Gently shifting as not to let his lasting erection slip from within Carlos, Jay tightly embraced the smaller boy in a spooning position. Slowly drifting off to sleep, Jay somehow felt more at ease than ever before. And ere he closed his eyes he merely wishes that moments like these could only last forever more…

When morning came, the boys found themselves quite glued together. Softly breaking free, Carlos winced at the soft pain in his ass. His dick having slipped out once again soft, Jay was already sporting a morning erection again & he quickly pulled back, thinking Carlos was in pain due to him. “Are you okay?” Jay quickly asked when Carlos winced, slowly supporting the young teen to lie down next to him. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Probably will be sore for a few days, but it’s a good kind of sore.” Carlos’ answered as he softly stroked Jay’s cheeks & giggled at the older teens morning erection. In this morning light he looked even better, he thought by himself. “Jay. I love you.”


	2. Three wishes, Two Rings & One collar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their first night of real intimacy & union without fear of possible consequences, the boys reflect on their relationship as life in Auradon continues. Until a twinkling light manages to catch the Prince of Thief's eye & leads him far into the woods.

It had been a few nights after their rather heated movie-date & Carlos was at times still reeling at the memories of what they did together that night. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined that being so intimate together with someone could feel this good & feels this right. He & Jay had had some difficulty looking at each other the very first day afterwards, as they had both felt that what they had shared had been momentous, & it was only because of Mal that they had taken a long walk together to finally discus what happened & how they felt about it. It wasn’t that they had felt awkward at doing it, but had trouble adjusting to feeling so intimate without needing to keep a low profile & not be caught in loving each other as was usual on the Isle before. Being able to feel this free yet loved was something they had never been able to do before & it had been difficult to het accustomed to, even after a few months…

“Seriously, Carlos, if you & Jay keep acting awkward around each other for one more day, I’ll lock you two in a cupboard till you have talked through whatever it is that needs talking about.” Mal had snapped at Carlos when they were taking lunch while Jay had remained quiet throughout the entire break, the awkward silence annoying Mal more & more the longer it went on. The awkward silence & tensions between him & Carlos had been more than noticeable for Evie & Mal, who had been exchanging worried glances before Mal had finally spoken up as Evie didn’t want to get involved & make things worse. Mal’s usual direct approach & call-out had caused Jay to look up from her remark as if torn from a day-dream – one Carlos could very well properly guess without effort, for he was having the same daydreams as he found out afterwards.

“Sorry, Mal, you’re right. Jay, can we take a hike for a few minutes?” The tall teen had looked apprehensive at first, but after a flare from Mal & a subtle kick of Evie, paired with that all too well-known puppy-eye look from Carlos, he had silently agreed & went with Carlos to the woods around Auradon Prep, walking together into the edge of the forest as Mal & Evie remained seated in the cafeteria. After a few minutes of silent walking separated by a few feet, Jay broke the silence by stammering. “So… What are we now? Are we actual boyfriends now? I mean, we probably were before, but it’s still so weird to think about us as such…” Carlos had expected Jay to wait until he spoke, so after recollecting his thoughts in mild surprise, he had turned to Jay & answered as best he could, “I guess we are boyfriends now… I mean, well, you did fuck me & friends don’t just fuck each other I wager. At least, not any friends I know. Nor do friends kiss and shit. And you’re right, I guess we’ve been for a while, even if we didn’t see it as such…” Jay smiled his mischievous smirk at this & gave Carlos a pat on the shoulder. “True, true, but we’re not just friends, right, dude? I mean…” Jay looked shyly away at his feet & continued softly, a tad ashamed of his own reluctance, “You were my first real friend, man. I never had anyone I could or wanted to protect before… I know villains weren’t supposed to have friends, only henchmen or minions, but still…” Carlos smiled too, as he remembered one of their first meetings during which Jay had found him beat up in an alley near Hell Hall, where he had been cornered by the sons of Gaston, who had decided he needed a lesson in proper villainous behaviour…

Jay brought him out of the memory with another pat on the shoulder, softer than the previous one, causing Carlos to startle a little. “Dude, you okay? Your eyes kind of glazed over there.” Carlos looked up at Jay, who stood slightly bend over him, a hand of Carlos’ shoulder. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just remembered our first meeting, you know. So…” Jay straightened up & they began to walk again, keeping closer to Carlos now as if afraid the boy might get lost in thought again. After walking in silence for a few more minutes, Jay came even closer to Carlos & put an arm around his waist, keeping it there as they kept on walking. “You were my first too, you know…” Carlos looked up in surprise at him, mouth open in a stammering gasp. “R-Really?” Jay kept looking forward, face stern & serious. “Yeah. I know I flirt like a wallflower, but I haven’t ever done anything more than just kiss before. I’m not easily attracted in that way to people. In all honesty,” He looked down at Jay with a flicker of glee & pride in his eyes, “You are the first person I ever wanted to kiss over and over again, until my lips would blood & even then...” Not knowing how to react to this, Carlos had shut his mouth & faced forward again, laying his own arm around Jay’s waist, reaching up to compensate for their difference in height. He kind of expected that Jay would be his first ever crush, but that it was likewise to Jay had taken him by more than surprise. He had been certain that Jay had lost his virginity long ago, when still on the Isle, as it wasn’t uncommon for villain-kids to be promiscuous & use sex as barter for getting stuff.

When they had walked for about twenty minutes, Carlos decided it best to turn around & walk back to the school, before it became too late & they’d miss their next class. After a few months, they really wanted to stay in Auradon Prep as it had allowed them to develop their skills & meet new people. It meant a fresh start after the Isle & they were prepared to take it with both hands. Jay kept following Carlos’ lead, but when they were reaching the edge of the forest again, he halted Carlos & waited for a minute, clearly thinking deeply. Carlos patiently remained standing, knowing Jay was about to say something very serious, a trait he had learned to recognize long ago on the Isle. Jay usually was a brash person, quick to react with words or fists, so if he took his time saying something, you’d always know it was either very serious or equally important in his eyes. After a minute or two, Jay let go of Carlos’ waist & stooped down, one knee bend & one on the ground. Carlos didn’t know what Jay was doing, so standing still, he watched in surprise when Jay pulled out a collar from his pockets. “Carlos, would you accept this gift?” Carlos clasped his hands over Jay’s outstretched hand, “Did you steal it?” Jay swayed his head, pressing his free hand over Carlos’ hands. “I bought it, a few days ago. I sold a few of the stolen things & did a few simple jobs during free hours, but I saved the money for this collar. And for these.” He pulled out a small box, which when opened revealed a pair of rings, simple steel but both beset with a series of small stones which were black as night & seemed to suck away the light about them. 

“The rings are embedded with onyx & obsidian. Don’t ask me why, I just thought that they were beautiful & would fit your outfits no matter what you wear, as I know you like to dress us in matching outfits.” He smiled & looked up at Carlos, awaiting his reaction. Carlos was rooted to the spot, quite surprised at this turn of events & not knowing what to say as his thoughts raced incoherently through his confused mind. These kind of stereotypical proposals weren’t unknown on the Isle, but they happened so rarely that most kids had only known of them through all the stories their parents had told them. He stammered a few syllables, before composing himself & answering with a large smile & gleeful eyes. “Of course I’ll wear it. Although, “ He smirked at Jay, “Please don’t say they’re engagement-rings, Jay, because I don’t wanna get married quite yet.” At this, Jay smiled & kissed Carlos’ hand, placing one of the rings on Carlos’ ring finger & one on his own. “They’re not engagement rings, you idiot,” Jay said in a sarcastic tone, “They’re lover-rings, to show everyone you are taken.” At this, he bore up the collar & showed it to Carlos more closely. Made of red & black leather, it sported a few studs & a large nameplate. “Carlos” printed on the front & “Property of Jay, return when found wandering lonely” printed on its back, it made Carlos smile & giddy unlike anything he had ever seen. Gifts had been a thing only known to him through his friends, seeing how his mother didn’t even bother to give him scraps from her plate when he lived on the Isle. He wrapped his arms about Jay & gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It looks perfect. What are you waiting for, ugly? Put it on me. After all, “ Carlos traced Jay’s jawline with his finger as he smirked, “You’re my daddy now.” He planted another kiss on Jay’s cheek who was smiling as widely as he was before pulling Jay up & bowing his head down, offering his bare neck to Jay.

Gently, Jay clicked the collar in place about Carlos’ neck & gave it a few soft tugs to make sure it was holding neatly. Finally satisfied, he pulled Carlos’ head up by the collar & gave him a long deep kiss, which teased a few moans out from the small boy in his strong arms. After a few more minutes, they broke their lock, hearing the bell ring faintly in the school just faintly visible through the trees. “We’re gonna be late, Jay!” Carlos exclaimed in shock as he heard the bell. He tore himself free from Jay’s embrace & tugged the tall boy along the trail towards the school. After finally reaching the classroom, they were both promptly awarded a detention-slip. “Late again, Mr. De Vil. Truly Jay is rubbing off his detestable influences on you, I’m afraid. Pity.” The teacher looked darkly over at the tanned teen sitting a few rows behind Carlos, who simply looked back more darkly than the teacher could handle, making him break off the stare as he slipped the paper on Carlos’ desk. Evie, seated a few seats the right of Carlos, noticed the collar quickly & let out a small gasp, after which she quickly threw a few notes to Mal, who returned the favour in the same manner. This went on for about half an hour, during which the teacher was all too busy to notice, busily explaining the physical properties of thaumatic energies & how several biological organisms had integrated these energies in their own structures for various purposes, resulting in the magical creatures Auradon knew nowadays.

Carlos kept looking behind him, sharing a few loving glances with Jay, trying his best in the meantime to write down everything the teacher was explaining to the class, determined not to completely lose his status as good student among the teachers of Auradon Prep. An hour had passed ere the teacher finished his rushed recital & turned towards the class, finally glancing the note-exchange that was still happening between Mal & Evie. “Ahem!” He coughed loudly, Evie turning around with a nervous smile, knowing full well it was intended towards her & Mal as she hurriedly put away the note she had just caught. “Having a nice literary exchange, ladies?” Mal smirked at the teacher, while Evie cowered down upon her seat, giving a few pitiful glances towards Doug next to her, as the teacher wrote down a few detention slips for the girls. “Detention for Ms.’s Evie & Mal. Well, well, it seems that I might as well keep a few notes aside specifically aimed towards you four.” He gave the slips to the girls & went on by, asking a few dozen questions to the students who were loudly snickering at these exchanged between the four & the teacher, determined to remain strict yet fair. Status as good students would not warrant a privileged treatment…

When finally the day had ended & their separate classes were over, Mal & Evie had rushed towards Carlos & Jay, who had seated themselves at an empty table in the cafeteria to eat some dinner. “So, you boys talked it through?” Mal asked, as she sat herself & Evie at the table. Evie, giggling, quickly turned to Carlos. “So, how do you like the collar?” She was eying Carlos expectantly, who quickly understood & turned to Jay. “Really? She helped you picking it? Or did you want her to make it?” Jay smiled awkwardly. “You know I’m an idiot when it comes to fashion. Let’s be honest, anything leather is fine to me, but colours or matching parts of an outfit aren’t my thing.” Jay looked towards Evie, who was nodding in agreement. “That’s right! I’ve been helping him with getting matching outfits for the past years, ever since we met. You should’ve seen him before he met me & my perfect sense of style. He looked like a lowly beggar.” Jay smirked at this, coolly replying, “Well, I was a beggar, so… If anything, the improvement in style made it easier to steal as nobody suspects a stylish looking man as they suspect a filthy beggar.” Carlos nodded his head in disbelief, looking at Jay while laughing softly, as he shoved some mashed potato in his mouth. “You’re such a dork, J. But to answer Evie, I like the collar very very much.” Evie giggled, clapping her hands at this, while Mal rolled her eyes & suddenly noticed the rings on their fingers.

Putting up wide eyes, she almost yelled, “Are those rings?” Evie became still, hands still halfway in a clap, finally noticing the rings as well & letting out a gasp so loud it was almost a yell as she put her hands before her mouth. “Oh my god! Rings?! Jay! You didn’t tell me anything about rings?!” Jay looked awkwardly at the tabletop as he ate a piece of his steak before replying. “Well, no… I wanted to do the rings on my own.” Mal took Carlos’ hand in her own, eying the ring closely for a few minutes while Evie looked at the ring on Jay’s finger. “Obsidian & Onyx? Not a match I’d have made, but not bad.” She smiled at Jay who was trying to eat some of his potatoes. “I might teach you something yet.” Carlos pried his hand out of Mal’s & rubbed his wrist where she had held him. “What’s the big deal? They’re just lover-rings. You don’t have to plan a wedding yet.” He eyed Jay, who was smiling awkwardly at him as he fingered the ring on his hand. “Well,” Evie stood up, “Whatever they are, they look great. We’ll be off now, okay?“ At that she nudged Mal towards the door & gave Carlos a wink. After being left alone for a few minutes & having finished their meals, Carlos & Jay decided it best to return to their own dorms. It had been a very long day & Carlos still had a lot of homework to do with Jay – who was expert at ignoring it till the day before it had to be handed in.

Homework proved a lot tougher than anticipated. Though Carlos excelled in practically every technical course, his interest in more humane courses like History & Biology was less than existent. Jay, for once, had to take on the job as tutor & was slowly dragging Carlos through Biology of Dragons when the clock struck 11 PM. “Shit, is it that late already? Man, I’m never gonna get this done!” Carlos began exasperated, already building up an anxiety attack as he was breathing more deeply. Jay knew these attacks came too quickly & lasted too long for his liking & in an act of desperation to stop the attack from beginning full-out, shoved Carlos on the bed & kissed him long & deeply. Carlos, surprised yet not unamused by this, quickly gave in & let his hands wander about Jay’s sides. At this, Jay had realized the anxiety had been driven from Carlos’ thoughts, broke the kiss & cooed Carlos. “Relax, babe. You’re the smartest kid around, ain’t you ever gonna fail a test, I’m sure.” He let a hand wander softly over Carlos’ hair & played with the dyed hair tips to get Carlos’ mind of the studying. Carlos let out a deep sigh, embraced Jay tightly & let his face fall into the nook of Jay’s neck. “Thanks, J. I needed that. You’re right.” Jay Put his arms underneath Carlos & slowly raised him of the bed, placing him on his lap.

“So, does this mean the studying is over? Cuz, I’m not gonna lie – I hate this tutoring.” Jay smirked slyly as Carlos laughed at this. “Hey, you’re not so bad. Though you might expand your vocabulary a bit. Just using Tourney-analogies gets a bit confusing after a dozen or so examples.” Jay laughed loudly at this, throwing his head back. Carlos lay in his arms, embracing Jay around the waist, his face buried in Jay’s shirt. He inhaled deeply, enjoying Jay’s musky scent & slow breathing. Jay was right, he thought to himself. Now that he thought about it, he remembered a lot more than he had hoped & he could only thank Jay for that. Carlos looked up, facing Jay who was looking oddly at him. He had this characteristic flicker in his eyes & wore his standard flirting-smirk, which combined could mean only one thing. “Ah, no, Jay. Don’t start flirting, we still have homework to do once I can pry myself loose from you.” Jay ignored the comment & tugged a finger underneath the collar around Carlos’ neck. “But I don’t wanna study anymore. And aren’t I your master, my good boy?” Carlos swallowed, feeling the usual knot in his stomach at the “good boy”-comment. He had had it when Ben had said it several months ago & told Jay then, who never forgot it or made him forget it.

The knot elevated itself & Carlos found himself nearly unable to speak, slowly & hoarsely whispering “Yes, Jay.” Jay smirked even more at this, tugging softly at the collar, goading Carlos’ head towards his own. “Yes, who?” Carlos whimpered softly, clutching Jay’s shirt in his hands, lust rising in his mind. “Y-Yes, Daddy.” Now Jay relaxed, knowing he had Carlos right where he wanted him. Carlos’ fascination with calling Jay Daddy had begun to arouse Jay more and more, as he got used to it. Now his own lust was rising quickly & he desperately wanted to kiss Carlos & do even more to him afterwards. But he too in his mind had the homework still nagging about. Deciding against even more detention & getting Carlos in trouble again, he slowly let the collar go & tried to compose himself. “Good boy,” he softly whispered to Carlos, caressing his face & cupping it in his free hand. A soft kiss, shared breathing & a shy moan from both, Carlos wanted more as Jay lay him back on the bed & got up. “I’m sorry, babe, but you’re right. Homework first.” Carlos frowned, slightly angry with Jay for always doing this to him. “You know I don’t like being left in the cold, Jay”. Jay scoffed, smiling at Carlos as he threw the biology-book on his bed. “I know, but this time it’s for a good cause. I don’t want you to get any more detention. I don’t wanna see you getting angry with me, bae.” 

Carlos sighed & sacked into his bed, knowing full well Jay was right. Opening his book where they ended, he tried to study again but after tossing about for twenty minutes, decided it was no good anymore. “Ah, damn, let’s just go to sleep. I can’t focus anymore.” Jay, looking up from his own books, accepted Carlos’ complaint & put away their books. Several minutes later, they lay in bed together, Carlos nestled against Jay’s chest, as Jay enveloped him & kept his arms tightly about the younger boy. After some time, Carlos fell adrift in sleep. Jay however was kept awake by his thoughts, as he felt the small freckled figure slowly breathe in and out beside him. He was still thinking about their lustful night from a week ago. Had he done right by Carlos or had he been to rash? He could have hurt the boy in his ecstasy & was sure that it wasn’t right to have sex so quickly or early in a relation. Yet, somehow, having observed Carlos’ actions the past week, he felt the boy was happy it had happened. Of course he was happy too, but he felt conflicted. He had always protected Carlos, even when their relationship had been a platonic friendship. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Carlos, accidentally or purposefully… 

He remembered the time he had found Carlos in an alley near Hell Hall, all bruised & beat up, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. His heart had nearly given out that time, as he had thought for sure that time the boy was dead. Only when the boy had stirred & whimpered when he had drawn nearer, had he felt relieved. Then he had realized the boy probably thought his attackers were back & had flinched in anger. It had taken every fibre in his body to remain composed & slowly comfort the boy, ensuring everything would be fine, as he had lifted Carlos up in his arms. He had ended up carrying the boy through hidden & dark alleys to his house, to prevent any curious or malevolent eyes from seeing them as they made their way to Jay’s home. His father had not been home & he had placed the battered youth on his carpet, which served as bed. It was the first time in their friendship that Jay had felt more than a platonic love & it had almost ended him when he had almost cried that day. But Carlos had pulled through & recovered remarkably quickly, probably an effect of living with Cruella – where signs of weakness where beaten out & strength of mind was bred to prevent harsher punishment. Carlos had been surprised, then angry, and then relieved – he had thanked Jay, voice trailing off before he had fallen asleep again when his exhaustion from recovering became too much. When Jafar came home, Jay had said nothing to his father, determined to let the boy leave through his bedroom-window when he was somewhat recovered & wanted to go home. But Carlos had stayed, slowly recovering & obviously enjoying Jay’s comforting help through the painful days of recovery. Later Carlos had told Jay it was the first time anyone had every shown him any real kindness beyond that of friendship & that it was probably the moment he had fallen in love with the dark thief. Though Jafar had never found out about Carlos spending almost a week in Jay’s bedroom, Jay did found out that Cruella had been nearly in a panic at the absence of Carlos’ labouring hands. When Carlos had heard himself, he had quickly left in fear of punishment – but only after having been given a gorgeous fur coat by Jay who had stolen it the day before, as a peace-token to give Cruella to soften any punishment she might give him. It had worked & beyond a slight beating, Cruella had not questioned Carlos’ absence or how he came to have the coat, which had immediately gotten its place in her fur-closet.

Had it been the first time that Jay had cried about anyone but himself? He thought, yes – yes, it had been. Before that day, he had only ever cried because of Jafar’s treatment towards him. Jafar had never really loved Jay, he was certain of that. Though he respected Jay as a key-pawn in keeping his bazaar open, he had never loved him as his son. It took empathy to love others & Jafar’s history proved the man had never had that, past or future… Yet, he never despised the day, indeed because it was the first time he had cried about someone else’s misfortune. It was the day he had begun to love, however mildly it was back then. And here they were now, lying together in each other’s arms, lit by soft moonlight in a place where happiness can truly exists & where weakness is not punished or beaten out of you. Jay sighed, tried to relax, quiet his mind. Slowly he drifted asleep, thinking about Carlos & their life together in Auradon, about how lucky they had been to end up in this paradise…

The next day had brought fair weather, with a nice breeze flowing through the forest into the school as they went off to their designated classes. As predicted, Carlos scored a near-perfect score on his tests & homework, as Jay had managed to keep up with agreeable & relatively good grades himself. When lunch had come, they again sat at a table with Evie & Mal, joined by Doug & Ben as they enjoyed the weather outside. But something had drawn Jay’s attention as he looked over at the forest during a moment where Carlos & Evie were discussing their shared class-schedule the next week. A twinkling or blinking light catched his eye as it had scanned the lunch-area near the forest edge, looking for any students that might be wearing any interesting trinkets or showing off expensive toys. After looking about, he had thought no one else had seen it & after excusing himself, he had slowly walked off into the forest. Carlos hadn’t noticed & Jay slipped into the dense trees, determined to find the source of that strange gleam of light. Now he was certain, as a twinkling light was flitting about twenty meters before him as if to lure him in, hiding behind a tree now and then. Curious, he motioned forward & the light had mimicked him, flitting further along, deeper into the forest. Following it deeper into the forest, he was drawn unto a trail he hadn’t found before, leading further off away from the school. After about twenty minutes, he found the trees became denser & huddled closer to the path. The light kept going forward with equal speed as Jay approached it, as the trees were now so close together that nothing could be seen outside of the path as soft sunlight filtered through the thickly-grown canopy. Eventually, he wandered into a large clearing, surrounded by sand-coloured beeches, which stood so close together that there was barely enough space left between trunks to allow a finger through. There, in the middle of a slightly raised mount, stood a large hexagonal & weather moss-encrusted pedestal. And on it, Jay nearly exclaimed as he saw it gleaming, a golden lamp, shining brightly in a shower of sparkles & glitters that fell softly from an opening in the canopy above the clearing. Slowly staggering forward, he lingered when he set foot unto the mound. Every sensible fibre in him yelled, “Trap!” yet his wandering hands could not be kept close for long as he stepped further towards it. Eventually he stood at the pedestal, took up the lamp &, after inspecting it closely, gave it a soft rubbing on the side as he remembered his father’s tale about the Genie’s Lamp.

Jay wasn’t quite sure what happened afterwards, but he managed a garbled recollection when he finally came out of shock. The rubbing was followed by a large booming sound as he was thrown back to the foot of the mound & a large column of bluish-grey smoke billowed from the tout of the lamp. When a large nearly-translucent figure appeared from the whirling smoke, it bellowed even louder than the bang a few seconds ago. “GOOD MORNING, AURADON!” Before Jay, sitting on an enormous cloud, an equally enormous figure was lazily floating through the air, megaphone in one hand, & large neon-sign in the other. “AND WHAT A MORNING IT IS! OH, WAIT, NOON! SCUSE ME! IT’S BEEN A TIME, ALMOST A YEAR, YOU SEE! SO, WHAT’S CRACK-A-LACKING?” The figure bend towards Jay, looking down upon him with an enormous face, which seemed to exist only of two enormous eyes & a face-splitting smile. “HOW’S OLD BEASTIE? STILL SITTING ON THE THRONE? WHY, THAT RASCAL, IF ONLY HE HAD DONE THAT LAST WISH AFTER THOSE FIRST TWO, I COULD’VE BEEN OUT AGAIN A LONG TIME AGO!” The gargantuan figure bellowed, laughing such an infectious laugh that Jay followed his example, finally snapping out of the shock. Then, suddenly, he realised what happened. “Fuck, you’re a genie!” The Genie stopped laughing at this comment & looked upon Jay. “So, you’ve heard of Djinns then, young man? Granted, we’re not exactly unknown nowadays, but still.” He seemed to shrink, his comical attributes vanishing in a twinkle, finally setting down a foot upon the mound beneath him. “And you might be?” The Genie popped in a monocle & scanned Jay from toe to tip, suddenly drawing back. “Oh dear… You’re his son!” A large bang sounded again, as an impressive suit of armour & enormous balloon sword appeared around & upon Genie. “I’m ready! Once before, never again, foul fiend.”  
Jay realized the Genie’s thinking & quickly drew up his hands before his chest. “Easy now! I ain’t as bad as my old man, I promise!” The Genie looked carefully at the boy before him, as the twinkling light from before suddenly dropped down from above them & buzzed busily about Genie. “Ah, I see. Thanks, Tink! Stay close though.” Genie whispered to the small light, which Jay now recognised as being a fairy, a small girly figure in an all-enveloping light with translucent wings as if a butterflies. The light went behind Genie, settling down upon the pedestal as Genie’s armour evaporated & turned to Jay again. “Well then, young man, seeing how Tink says you’re certainly much purer of Heart than Jafar, what would be your wishes?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Genie is still around. How else could Prince Adam have gathered up all the villains into one place, even those who were dead. Two wishes he consumed, a third he granted to a person of pure heart to find on their own. And where else would Tinkerbell be than in a forest of near-magical repute. After all, Love is the greatest magic in the Worlds.
> 
> EDIT; Added a few sentences, fixed a few mistakes & edited summary.


	3. The Gift & The Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so Jay met Genie, who had been locked away in a protective dell where only one pure of heart could reach. Jay now has three wishes at hand, but will he use them for good?

Carlos was the first to notice Jay’s long absence & had started to get worried when all of them heard the enormous thundering boom from deep within the forest, startling them all & sending thm upright in confusion as they looked about for the source of the sound. “What was that?!” Mal & Evie quickly looked about as several students in the field cried & fled in-doors, while Evie was about to use her Mirror to find out. Ben was looking around the forest edge in great confusion as he gripped Mal tightly, who gently put down Evie’s hands & made her put away the Mirror. “I don’t know, but Fairy Godmother will be here soon to discover whatever that was, I’m sure. Let’s go inside, okay?” Then they all heard, trailing faintly from afar, a deep voice that was just too faitn to fully understand. They heard it surely was a loud voice, diminished in strength over the course of a mile or so, as Fairy Godmother strolled up unto the field as the remainder of the students fled inside or was ushered in by the school security. “Quickly now! Everyone inside, please! We will investigate the disturbance & establish you’re all secure here, not to worry. Everything is under control, children, please go inside.” Carlos was tugging at Mal’s sleeve, become panicked at Jay’s absence as they were rounded up by a few security agents & led inside the cafetaria. “Mal! Mal! Jay’s gone! I think he went into the forest! We’ve got to find him!” Doug spoke up, affirming Carlos’ suspicion as he put his hands on Evie’s shoulders while Mal was trying to calm Carlos down. “He did. About twenty minutes ago, but I didn’t think any of it. We all know how Jay is when he sees something that piques his interest. Don’t worry, Carlos, he’ll be okay.” Fairy Godmother, overhearing Carlos’ panicked voice as she was walking by the group, turned towards them & spoke firmly in her usual strict voice. “If this turns out to be in any way Jay’s fault, especially if it’s anything really bad for the security of the school that’s happening, I don’t know what will happen to him, Carlos. But we’ll find him so don’t worry, okay? We have our own way of finding people from the sky.”

As they turned towards the door, they suddenly heard a great cry from above as they saw an odd congregation of several birds & a large carpet fly overhead, swiftly gliding over the forest edge, as a bickering noise came from the group. “Yah! Yah! Forward, Archimedes! Don’t stay behind!” cried a large heron as it flew before the flock, softly gliding & swaying in the wind as a grey little owl was hurriedly flapping its wings to keep suit with it. Upon the carpet was seated a tanned elderly man who was sporting binoculars & scanning the forest canopy as a large parrot with weathered feathers sat on his shoulder, scanning the other directions as they went on. “Three miles ahead! Fairy-dust!” The flock went over the forest & was soon lost to view, as Fairy Godmother ushered the stunned group into the school, closing the doors behind them before she turned towarsd the forest again & began muttering under her breath, powerful words being ushered about. The group of teens had barely entered the building when its windows darkened as if a gloomy cloud had covered it, as a deep dronong rumble resounded from outside, making the windowpanes softly vibrate in response as the very air seemed to tremble with power. “Wow, they raised the Cloak! They sure are worried if they decided that!” Doug exclaimed impressed, as Evie & Mal huddled around Carlos who was descending into an anxiety-attack, breathing raggedly in & out as he slowly slid unto the floor & reached for support by the girls. He was struggling to breath, as he started hyperventilating, his chest heaving in an effort to gulp in enough air & not faint. Mal pulled out a bag & placed it to Carlos’ mouth, ushering the small teen to follow her instructions as she began reciting the usual mantra. “Come on, C! You know what to do! In & out, deep breathing, steady breathing! In & out!” Carlos feebly gripped the bag & tried breathing evenly into it, slowly calming as he continued & his grip on Evie’s arm became less. Evie was standing on besides him, rubbing his back & shoulders as she watched Carlos slowly recover from his attack. She had always seen the young boy as a young brother, and his attacks had alwaysunnerved her more than any other situation could. Doug softly hugged her when Carlos was calm again, letting Mal take over Carlos as the small teen thanked her for the bag. “Where the hell is Jay? When I find him, imma give hima good knuckling, that deadbrain…” Mal was thinking as she got Carlos up & seated at a free table, sending Ben to get a glass of water for the exhausted boy, who was feebly gripping the edge of the table as not to fall.

Above the forest, Yago cried suddenly as he spotted a large cropping of trees to their right with several fairies swirling above it, causing a large glittering shine of sunlight to relfect in the upwards drifting fairy dust. “There! Aladdin, you blind nut! To the right! Carpet! The right! Not the left! AM I the only one with a sense of direction in this entire group?” The old owl Archimedes cut them off & speeded towards the dome with Merlin as the Carpet slowly halted & turned towards it. The heron strayed back above it & suddenly poofed into a large cloud as an elderly robed figure fell from it upon the Carpet, landing besides Aladdin as he propered his crinkled robes. “Gesh-whickers, what’ve does fairies gotten themselves into this time? Those little pixies can be quite fixating vixes, mark my words, young man…” Merlin sat himself properly beside Aladdin, who was looking gravely in front of them as they saw Archimedes return exhaustedly from the dust vortex not too far before them. “They won’t let anyone through! Said they have orders from high above which they don’t want to disobey!” Aladdin commanded Carpet to stay where they were as more fairies gathered around the dome before them. “Tell me, Merlin, isn’t that the old Spring? Seems like the spot, doesn’t it?” Merlin thought for a few seconds as he looked about, before confirming Aladdin’s suspicion. “Seems to be so. Wonder why there are so many fairies attracted to it all of a sudden? Can’t be just because of its magic. That’s run its course a long time ago…” Far below them, another scene was playing itself out, as two figures were silently talking in an open clearing, gazed upon by dozens of pixies.

“So, you see, I want to make sure I won’t hurt him, you know? I mean,” Jay went stammering on, “I think I really, really love him but how can you ever be sure?” Genie looked at the young teen, a knowing smile plastered on his face as he heard the teen go on, reminded of his own loves & relationships from long ago. “Well, boy, there isn’t ever a fool-proof way of knowing if you really love someone. That’s the deal with love, you see? It’s grown or discovered, not forced or faked. If you do that, it’s not love but obsession & mere lust. Love is… deeper.” Genie exclaimed to the flustered teen that had finally stopped talking to breath in, looking at Genie in expectation & curiosity as the large figure went on. “Once there was a boy who wanted to woo a girl he barely knew. Of course it wasn’t really love at first sight, but they started to love each other as deeply as it would’ve been if it had been love at first sight. He’s king now, though he renounced his title in favour of his son & now is more of a police-officer to the realm if I recall correctly. They grew their love for eachother, by adventure & honesty, by recognizing that love is made by two people together & not just one…” Jay had set himself down & was thinking deeply at these words as he crossed his legs & was fingering the keychain he held in his hands. Genie too had set down and looked up, into the canopy where many fairies had gathered to protect the privacy of the scene but were also curiously gazing at it as it unfolded. “You know, I have one wish to give away at order of my previous partner. He never did make his final wish as he merely made it a gift.” Jay looked up at this & pondered at the Genie’s knowing smile, as Genie sat upright & beamed down on jay. Genie went on as he waved his hands about, “I can give you three wishes on default, but seeing how this last wish of my last master is a gift, how about we use it to see if Carlos loves you as much as you love him? Or if it is true love?” Genie flicked his hand & out of thin air snapped an apple, its surface shining like polished marble, looking as scarlet as rubies & blood. “You obviously would have heard of the Evil Queens poisoned apple, no doubt, right? A piece of magic that is but a mimicry of this real magic, my boy!” Genie explained, with a wink in his eye as he finished the sentence. “Give the apple to one you love & if they are able to take a bite from it without any negative side-effects, it’s true love. How it works I won’t explain, even if I could really explain it to begin with, but I can guarantee it is without deadly consequence save for how the person taking the bite responds.” He handed over the apple to Jay & called down Tink from above, at which the small fairy eagrly darted downward & flitted about Genie. “Tink, you delightfull pixen, can you & your friends make sure no one comes to disturb us for a while longer? I can feel that Aladdin is near, along with Merlin, that old fool, & I don’t want him to see me, not quite yet anyway. It might be too hasty a reunion if it happened now, I think.” Tink quickly fluttered away, tinkling loudly out into the surrounding forest a she flew between the trunks of the trees & called up a large group of fairies to follow her.

“What happened that you don’t want to see Aladdin now?” Jay asked Genie, who looked a bit less gleeful as he answered, a hand clasped on the back of his neck as he looked sadly down to the ground. “Some wishes never go well, as I found out early on when I was newly a Djinn. And Aladdin asked a very dangerous wish long ago, which ended very badly. Let’s keep it at this, that his eldest son was not his firstborn. There had been a girl before Ally was born, but she was weak & sickly, extremely frail. We Djinn can do enormously much, but we can’t kill or make life, only change the conditions surrounding it. It’s one of those things reserved only for real gods, you know, so we Djinn can’t even try. But Aladdin, in his fear & hurt, anxious to do anything, tried it anyway. She died soon after & Aladdin blamed me for a long while, thinking that my powers were not strong enough or that I wasn’t willing enough to begin with. He eventually realized his own error but it wasn’t a happy reunion when he dug up my lamp again after a few decades. After that, he gave me to Prince Adam, as a wedding gift for his & Belle’s marriage. The rest would be history, as you say.” Jay looked up at the Genie & somehow felt as if he knew exactly what to do, feeling like the pieces of a puzzle were falling together at last. He felt at ease around the Djinn, as if they had been friends for a very long time, without really understanding how or why. And somehow, he felt as if the Genie was more of a father than just a slave to wishes, as if he knew the hurt & pleasure of children better than most people. “You were human once, right? I can tell, I think. It feels like you know.” Jay softly whispered this, at which Genie answered just as softly, “Yes. Yes, I was once. Like Jafar I wanted more power, but not to dominate but to help. Turns out it is difficult to help people if the masters you are bound to only want to help themselves. People like Aladdin & Prince Adam are far too few among all my previous masters, I’m afraid to say. Cruelty is a very easy thing to develop when you can do anything, it seems. Even though Aladdin has freed me, I still can fulfil wishes of course. I can refuse them now too, if I want, by either not performing them or making them very temporarily but still... A Djinn can never be truly free as long as they are a Djinn, like a slave will always be a slave, even when they bought their own freedom. It’s not something that just goes away like snow before the sun...” Genie was looking despondent as he looked sadly at the forest about them, waving at the trees about them. “We are like the trees, bound to a omnipresent master who directs our very life. How we grow, how we life, how we die. A Djinn is made or born to serve & can only die when their master either destroys their lamp or wishes us to be human once more if we were it once. It’s a very lonely life that never ends, in many cases going on nearly forever.” 

Jay looked at Genie with a pang in his heart, wishing he could do something as he watched the saddened figure intently. His thoughts were milling quickly as he went down a list of options, hoping to be able to help. “Perhaps I can make it a wish?” He slowly proposed, gauging Genie’s reaction as he spoke. Genie looked up with a sad look in his eyes as he replied, “Like the so many masters that have said they would free me? While only one has truly done so? It would certainly be a noble gesture if you go through with it, my boy. But that’s not for now!” Genie stood up quickly, clapping his hands & pulling a large mirror out of thin air, placing it before him & Jay. “Now, master, what would your first wish be?” Jay smiled at the Genie’s performance & straightened up, thinking before finally speaking up as he decided on his first two wishes nearly instantaniously.

Carlos was looking outside with sad eyes reddened by tears, the rest of the group having seated themselves all around the dorm-room of Carlos & Jay as they kept waiting for the situation to change. Hours had passed & yet the Cloak had not been lifted, keeping the hallways darker than normally & casting a mood of depression on all students as security was busily going about the entire school. Gloom was starting to gather outside, save for one spot at the horizon where a bright light was shining from out the forest canopy as suddenly a bright flash lit up the forest, after which the light had gone. Suddenly the room grew brighter as the Cloak around the school was lifted, causing many students to exclaim in relief. “Finally! Took them long enough!” Mal & Evie exclaimed, as they instantly held up Evie’s Mirror before them. “Mirror, mirror, in our hand, where is Jay within the land?” They peered in the mirror in disbelief as an image shone brightly from it. “That can’t be right, can it?!” Carlos quickly leapt up behind them & looked into the spying-glass, his puffy eyes gazing into the reflective surface. There was Jay, standing next to a large nearly translucent figure at the forest edge, talking to Fairy Godmother & several other people as behind them the strange group of flying watchers descended upon the ground. “Who is he?” Carlos asked, pointing at the figure beside Jay, before suddenly realizing Jay looked very different indeed. His clothes had changed, from his usual leather outfit to a more simple cotton outfit, which hung around him more loosely as it swayed lightly in the breeze. The mirror zoomed in unto the face of the figure besides Jay, as elegant writing appeared below the face. “Genie of Auradon, formerly of Agrabah, formerly friend of Aladdin of Agrabah, Djinn, age unknown…” The small lettering went on, slowly scrolling from right to left. “A Djinn?!” Mal exclaimed loudly, eyes wide in disbelief as she read the text & inspected the figure. “And jay is handing the lamp to Fairy Godmother?! Has he gone insane?” Mal & Evie exclaimed nearly in unison, while Carlos was simply hanging unto their shoulders, relief flooding in as he saw Jay safe near him again, without reach.

Before anyone could stop him, Carlos had run out of his dorm & down the corridor, running towards the lunch-field where he know Jay would be standing right now, talking with Fairy Godmother. He ignored the calls of a few teachers & securit officers who saw him run about after curfew & flung himself out of the doors into the field, straight towards the group at the forst edge. There he saw Jay standing, before Fairy Godmother, his gaze turning to Carlos running towards him. “Jay!” He ran towards them, as a figure stepped in front of him & tried to keep him back. “Jay! Are you okay?!” Jay gave the lamp to Fairy Godmother & quickly walked to Carlos, taking the smaller boy into his strong armas as he lifted carlos up from the ground & spun him around. “Oh, Carlos, I’m fine! You worry-wart!” He ruffled the smaller boy’s spiked hair as he spoke, waving to Genie to come closer. “Carlos, I want you to meet Genie!” Jay was absolutely beaming as he introduced the two to each other. “So you are the bright young man that Jay couldn’t stop talking about?” Genie said as he again pulled out a monocle & inspected Carlos from toe to tip as he had done to Jay a few hours earlier. “He was right. You’re your mother’s son and yet so much more than she could ever hope or expect, take it from me. I have an eye for these things.” He smiled at the flustered boy before him as he pulled a fake eye out of his pocket & tossed it at him. “Oh, by the way, here is a little something that Jay thought you might like.” Before Carlos’ eyes, Genie made a large box appear out of thin air, placing it before Carlos. “A tool-set with every manner of trinket you might need in emergency repairs, my boy!” Genie blundered an infectious laugh, as Carlos looked at the gift in absolute disbelief & admiration. He gently went over the top of the box with his hand as he stuttered a few words of thanks. “Well, let’s put it away in your room where it will be safe now, will we?” At which the Genie snapped his fingers & the box disappeared in a cloud of smoke, after which it loudly thudded into an empty corner of Carlos’ room where it surprised the rest of the group still seated with such suddenness that Doug & Evie flung themselves over a bed board for cover, causing Mal & Ben to explode into scared fits of laughter.

“As for your second wish, master Jay, I shall be passed into the capable hands of Madame Godmother here before performing the last wish we agreed upon.” As Genie ticked his lamp, which was gently held by Fairy Godmother, he turned to face her. “Would you be as kind as to say the words, Madame?” Fairy Godmother blushed softly & began reciting the words Jay had instructed her to use. “Become anew that which was broken, erect again a shield above an island of lost souls, help them find hope & love where they least expect, as I make this Djinn free of his bonds once and for all, Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boo!” A large flash of light beamed from the lamp, disappearing into the twilight gloom of the clouds above, landing into the centre of the Isle of the Lost many miles away, erecting over it a new field to keep it safe from within and without as its inhabitants screamed in confusion. Genie himself was being enveloped in a billowing cloud of smoke again, which solidified about him as before their eyes his being was altered once again. And before them stepped out from the cloud not a Djinn but a man, free again!

He inspected his hands, waving them in the air a few times, before exclaiming in joy. “Nothing! Not even a poof of smoke! Free at last! Mortal again! Yesss!” He hopped around, taking Fairy Godmother by the hands as the lamp she had held fell into dust. Carlos looked at Jay, inspecting his new outfit more closely. He softly exclaimed. “Jay! Is this gold thread?!” Jay smirked at this, pulling Carlos closer to him. “It is. But don’t tell anyone. I told Genie to make it look like regular cotton. When I’m tired of it, I’ll probably sell it – because then people can see it’s gold. We can use the money to help the people of the Isle. Send food, medicines, that sort of stuff. Ben is right, we need to reach out to the young people there, teach them there is more to life than simply stealing each other’s stuff & trying to outdo one another. We need them to learn how to love.” At this, he pulled out the apple and showed it to Carlos. “I also got this. With it, we can see if what we have is true love at all. Genie promised it won’t give trouble – it’s completely safe.” Carlos doubted these words, remembering all too well Evie & Mal’s attempt at recreating the Poisoned Apple made by Evie’s mother. They had been careful to destroy it in a fire before anything went wrong, but Carlos had been a nervous wreck the whole time, fearing it might fall in the wrong hands or be used accidentally. But as he looked at Jay’s face, he saw the tall teen was very convinced & dared to belief him on the word of it. “Fine. We shall use it tonight, when we’re alone…” Carlos softly whispered, as Jay put the apple away & cupped his face in his hands. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to, babe. I wanted to try it because I don’t dare say to myself I truly love you because I never have known love before. I don’t want to hurt you in any way.” Carlos softly laughed at the insecurity he heard in Jay’s voice. He held a hand to Jay’s hand on his cheek. “I know and I have been fearing the same thing. I don’t want to hurt you either, J.”

After Fairy Godmother had send Genie away with Aladdin & several other people, she turned towards Jay, inviting him for a questioning in her office. Carlos had gone back to his dorm, where he was assaulted by the group in questionings about what happened & why the hell an enormous toolbox had nearly crushed them. Carlos calmly tried explaining everything, occasionally being affirmed by Evie who had followed the scene in her mirror before the toolbox had suddenly appeared, when she had jumped from the bed into Doug’s lap & over the bedboard. After they had stopped asking questions, Carlos had turned his attention to the toolbox & inspected every drawer & tool in it, carefully taking them all out, turning thme in his hands & placing them back in. It had been a while when the group had all returned to their respective dorms & left Carlos alone. Eventually, Jay walked in & went to hug Carlos firmly as they flung in each other’s arms. “How was it? What did she ask? Are you being punished?” Jay laughed at Carlos’ curiosity & calmly explained everything Fairy Godmother had asked him, what had happened & what he had told her. “In general, she was just very surprised I found the lamp as Prince Adam apparently had made it very clear that the lamp could only be found by someone deemed worthy by both the fairies & the Genie. She admitted to having searched for it herself, but didn’t went into details as you might expect. She was happy with my decision to just re-erect the barrier around the Isle of the Lost, even though it works a bit differently from the original one.” Carlos askes how & Jay went on explaining, “It won’t let anyone in with evil intends, let out anyone who doesn’t know love or empathy and helps things grow on the island. The old shield kept out everything good & in everything bad, that’s why it was always cloudy & nothing ever really grew. Plants should grow firmly now & people should become better than they were before. The Genie and me were very specific on the wish, we spent almost two hours making sure it was perfect. The words I made Fairy Godmother say should prevent any real escapes yet give people a chance to get out if they deserve it.” Carlos looked at Jay, proudly as could be as he hugged the tall teen in a loving embrace. “You still surprise me, J!” Jay smiled & hugged the smaller teen back, lifting him of his feet & unto the bed. “As for my third wish, Genie explained how being a Djinn was equal to a life of slavery. It reminded me of you & I couldn’t just turn a blind eye to that. Besides, what else could I wish for but a good life, a loving boyfriend & some money hidden on me?” He winked at Carlos, who was admiring the cotton gold again. “But, what about the apple? Wasn’t that a wish as well?” Jay pulled out the apple from his robe & put it on their nightstand, where it stood shining brightly red in the lamplight. “Genie’s last master, Prince Adam, only ever used two wishes & asked the third wish to be a gift to his next master.” Carlos pondered over it all & lay back on the bed. “To believe that Jafar’s son would be as good a master to the Genie as his mortal nemesis was…” Carlos chuckled, looking at Jay who was smirking at the comment. “Hey! What can I say? I’m a better apple than that rotten tree of a dad…” Carlos hugged Jay, sensing the sadness in the boy’s words. “Don’t worry, J. I’ll love you for two people’s worth of love.” Jay smiled, laying himself next to Carlos, holding each other in their arms as they both became silent & looked at each other.

“Want to try the apple, J?” Carlos asked timidly. Jay remained silent for a few seconds, before softly replying. “Yeah, I guess so. Even if it weren’t to be true love, I’d be glad still. At least we love each other & that should be enough.” He reached over & took the apple in hand, slowly bringing it between their faces. “Ready?” Carlos nodded. Slowly both set their teeth in the fruit, pulling away each a large chunk of flesh as their teeth sank into the fruit…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Genie becomes a man. As seen in the movie, humans can be transformed in Djinn so the reverse should be able to be done. It was implied by Genie in the movie he hasn't always been a Djinn, so I decided to act on it. Also, though the resurrection of the Barrier seems a little obvious, it's a thing yet to be addressed by canonical sources so why not act on this possibility? The Rotten Four have grown a lot during their stay in Auradon & this ultimate act of selfishness fits Jay's development to a T.
> 
> The Cloak is a magical device very much like the Barrier, but more versatile in erection & dismantlement. Designed as a security-measure, it is raised when the Headmistress decides the school's safety is in danger. Like the Barrier, it keeps things out, hence the diminishing of the light inside. When the Cloak is active, only the Fairy Godmother can demand it to disappear.


	4. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Jay recovered Genie's lamp & freed him from his bonds as Djinn, Carlos continues to recover from their traumatic youth on the Isle. Meanwhile, an anniversary is coming up & Jay prepares a private celebration.

Mal was turning over her spell book in her dorm, after Carlos had run out to meet Jay in the field, reading the spells over & over again as the minutes ticked by. She had been milling over that strange squadron they saw fly over a few hours ago, when they had been ushered into the school. She could’ve sworn she had seen Yago seated on Aladdin’s shoulder, even though she hadn’t been sure until Jay had confirmed this. But wasn’t Yago supposed to be trapped on the Isle with Jafar? A slow fear crept up in her stomach as she started churning out certain implications on her notes, jutting down her thoughts in her notebook. If Yago were out, other creatures would be out as well, without a doubt. And there were many creatures on the Isle that were not bound by gravity to the land, like birds & fish. Ursula for one could easily have left the Isle the moment the Barrier went down, even though she was human now, & Diablo could be spying on her right now, after flying away from Dragon Hall to search for her mother. She stood up & quickly closed the curtains of the windows, obscuring her room from sight outside, anxious to keep out any prying eyes. She looked over at Evie, who was in the middle of her daily make-under, slowly removing her daily make-up with cotton swaps & applying a lush cream on her face. Perhaps they could use the Mirror to spy in on the Isle, see what was happening right now? She milled it over some more, jutting down more notes as the hour passed & Evie crept into bed after finishing her make-under.

Ben, in the mean time, too was thinking about the events of the afternoon, listlessly leaving through his book as he kept on thinking. Wasn’t Genie supposed to be in the Council of Sidekicks? Though it had been a year or so since he last saw him, he was sure Genie had been in the castle several times since. But he did never see the lamp, it was true. Could the lamp have been left before the Council? Or had it been placed there shortly before or after the Rotten Four had arrived in Auradon Prep? He was concerned as he turned over this suggestion in his mind. Clearly his father had taken certain measures beyond his own expectancy, not mentioning them to Ben or his own advisors. What else might have been planned by his father in the meanwhile? As he thought it over and over, he lay down & finally fell asleep after half an hour of drowsily pondering over these questions.

In their room, Jay & Carlos slowly took a bite of the apple, the chunks of flesh snapping from it with a fresh snap. After a few seconds, they turned to look each other in the face, waiting for any sign at all. After a few minutes had passed & feeling nothing differently, Jay sighed heavily & drew up his legs, arms hooking around them as he looked sadly down. “I guess it isn’t true love then?” Carlos looked at him, sad puppy-eyes staring into Jay’s own as he tried to comfort the tall teen. “Don’t say that, Jay. I’m sure the apple just didn’t work properly…” Carlos tried a warm smile, but quickly gave up when Jay failed to respond, fidgeting with his hands as he pondered about what to do. He placed his hands on Jay’s knees & leaned in to give Jay & soft kiss on the cheek, whispering softly. “Come on, J. I don’t care if it isn’t real love or not. I still love you no matter what.” Jay looked up, staring solemnly in Carlos’ face as he tried to look at it in a happier light. “Yeah, you’re right. You’re always right, C.” He said meekly, a sad smile showing as he slowly let go of his legs & moved. He leaned to Carlos & gave him a soft kiss on the lips, wanting to thank the small boy for comforting him. But as their lips touched, both felt a surge of warmth filling their chests, a soft sizzling sensation spreading from their touching lips down into their abdomens as the contact ended. Jay’s eyes widened as Carlos kept his closed & kissed Jay again, harder now. Suddenly, they broke their new kiss & looked at each other, smitten by the beauty they suddenly perceived in one another’s face as details suddenly jumped out & caught their eyes. Had Jay’s tanned skin always looked like bronzed velvet, smooth & strong over perfect muscles? Had there always been flecks of gold in Carlos’ large eyes, which looked now like ancient amber & gold? Aghast they stared in awe at each other & slowly took up one another in their arms, their breath catching on their skins as they stared breathlessly. “Jay?” Carlos asked timidly. “Yeah, C?” Jay answered softly. “Do you feel it too?”

Next day, the school was buzzing with rumours as countless students had begun discussing whatever they had seen the previous day. Some had managed to see Fairy Godmother speak with Jay outside, but most of the observations had been small snippets spied through corridor windows, which weren’t guarded, by teachers or security agents. It quickly turned out the entire forest-side of the school had been peppered by teachers & agents to prevent any students from seeing whatever happened on the field. But it was soon decided that Jay stood in the middle of the event & was therefore extremely interesting a subject, at least for the time being. All day, he was flocked by curious students who wanted to know more, yet, sworn to secrecy by Fairy Godmother & Genie, Jay remained close-mouthed as he spent the day with Carlos, ignoring the flocks of students bothering them every few minutes. They had gone to Genie first thing in the morning, who was still present in the school until it had been decided where he’d go now that he was a man again. After enthusiastically exclaiming the Apple had worked, Genie just smiled down upon the boys & calmed them, resting a hand on either of them & settling them down in chairs opposite to his. “Truth is, lads, the Apple never proves anything. That you saw each other for how you were & saw nothing but beauty from love, which was the real proof. It doesn’t take anything but a pure heart to realize if love is love or not.” The boys had simply stared at him, awestruck & slightly annoyed that they had been fooled, yet also immensely relieved that their true love was indeed all theirs & not an effect of a magical apple. They had amicably taken leave from Genie as the bell rung for their first classes & quickly sprinted towards their lessons, careful to dodge straggling groups of curious students, eager to avoid being stopped by any of them. Indeed, all day they had shared courses & couldn’t have been happier, smiling & chatting constantly whenever they had the chance, ignoring the curious looks of other students as they giggled from time to time. Even Maleficent’s defeat weeks prior hadn’t made them as happy as last night had. But their happiness was quickly diminished when Mal had shared her fears of the previous night with them during lunch.

“The Barrier has been down for a while & even though Auradon made sure none of the really notorious villains got off, a few could have escaped, no? Therefor, I think Yago & Diablo are free. I mean, you said Yago was perched on Aladdin’s shoulder, didn’t you, Jay?” Jay looked at her, nodding in agreement. It had surprised him as well, seeing how he expected Yago still to be with Jafar on the Isle. Yago hadn’t said anything, only looked at Jay a few times before leaving with Aladdin. “And if Yago has gotten out, Diablo surely would have as well. I fear he’s spying on my, seeing if he can get my mother out.” They hadn’t given much thought to Maleficent in the last month, who now resided as a small obsidian-coloured lizard in a large terrarium in Mal & Evie’s dorm. Evie had caught Mal talking to the lizard several times & once had overheard an entire conversation going on between mal & the lizard, which she had let play out as not to embarrass Mal by revealing she had been eavesdropping on her obviously private talk. 

“I’m really sorry, mother, but you can’t blame me. You kept me locked away all my life, never letting me be a child. I know you wished me to be just like you, but you can’t force people in a mould, no matter how strong you are. Please, just eat already. It’s no use starving yourself. You can’t die or grow & become yourself again until you learn & know love. Fairy Godmother said so…”

Evie looked at Mal who continued on, gesturing wildly as she kept talking & rambling about her fears & doubts. “I’m also pretty certain Ursula got out as well. After all, why else would the Triton-family have called back all relatives outside of Seaside? They’re afraid Ursula is out or know so. I mean, no one has seen Melody for quite some time now. She obviously went back to Seaside!” Carlos & Evie stared at each other, nodding in agreement at Mal’s conjecture, while Ben merely remained silent & let her go on. Jay however refused to believe her & quickly began to argue with her about this, almost sounding angry as he tried not to let his hatred & fear about the possibility of Jafar being free overtake his calm. “You’re nuts, Mal. They still have Fairy Godmother & her wand, right? Sure, she couldn’t raise the Barrier anymore, but I think it’s because the lingering effects of the spell being undone. She could just as easily cast Ursula back into the Isle now, no? If any of them had really escaped, they’d have stepped in & made sure something was done, like what they did yesterday! I’m sure they have security measures set up all around the Isle, especially for such situations.” Mal pondered on this for a few moments, before looking around at the others as if seeking assurance for her own points. She sighed when none of the others replied& let her head down. “I don’t know anymore. So much has changed since mother was transformed…”

After lunch, they went to their separate classes, Carlos & Jay hand-in-hand walking towards Study of Magic. As they walked the corridor, they passed Chad, who roughly nudged Jay aside as they brushed shoulders. “Hey, watch it!” Jay shouted. Chad turned around, looking as if smitten by an axe & sweating as if he had just run a marathon, clutching his shoulder as if it had been hit by a fist. “Just shut up, you filthy thief. I don’t need shit right now. Besides, we all know what happened yesterday.” Chad turned towards them & pressed a finger in Jay’s chest, his eyes looking extremely tired & deep dark bags forming underneath them. “You tried to steal the Lamp but failed, right? As villains always do, no?” Jay’s anger was rising quickly, as Carlos started tugging Jay’s arm. “Come on, J. Ignore him.” At this, Chad turned to the freckled teen, taking in a deep breath through the nose as he looked down on Carlos. “And you! You probably hoped he’d succeed, wouldn’t you? Like the worthless bitch you are, always seeking help with your master!” Before Carlos could react, Jay had swung a fist right into Chad’s stomach, causing the prince to double over in a loud groan as Jay pulled away & began yelling. “Don’t ever talk to Carlos like that, you pompous arrogant shit. You don’t know anything for shit!” Carlos squealed at Jay, trying to calm him down as he began tugging at his arms, away from Chad who was dry heaving from the blow. “Don’t, J! Let it be! We’re gonna get in trouble. Please, stop!” Jay looked furiously down upon Chad, wishing to kick the arrogant teen in the face but Carlos’ fearful whines began to distract him as they began to change into ragged breaths. He turned towards the boy & was shocked at the expression Carlos wore, the small boy trying to take deep breaths. He looked absolutely terrified at the consequences of what might happen, clutching at his own chest as he began to tremble all over. “Carlos?” Carlos began breathing even heavier, the breaths following each other quickly as the boy gulped for air, struggling to remain upright. “J, let’s go! Please…” Jay turned away from Chad, who was slowly stumbling away, muttering curses under his breath. “Carlos, calm down.” Carlos looked at Jay with wide eyes, his breathing becoming frantic. “Jay, help. Our room…” His knees almost gave out, as Jay put an arm around Carlos’ waist, supporting the boy who was beginning to cry. “Sure, Carlos. Hang on!” He picked the young boy up & quickly rushed to their dorm where he placed Carlos on his bed, before giving him a small bag to breath into.

Carlos doubled over on his bed, clutching his knees to his heaving chest as he began breathing in & out of the bag. Jay had just given the boy the paper bag to breath in & was covering him in a blanket, urging him to relax & focus. “Relax, Carlos. Just breath in & out, slowly.” Carlos’ anxiety-attacks had grown in number & intensity ever since they got to Auradon, no doubt a consequence of the change of scenery & the fact that Carlos didn’t have to bottle them up anymore till he was out of sight of Cruella who would’ve punished him for them. Jay feared the teen was always thinking about how his mother would come & drag him away, to become her personal slave-servant again, to be divided from everything he had began to love here. Tourney, school, goodness, Jay, … Jay looked down upon the teen who was slowly regaining steady breathing, rubbing his hand softly over Carlos’ back. “She can’t get you here, babe. I promise. Just try to relax, focus on counting, you know, like you always do…” Carlos smiled meekly, expecting Jay to have figured it out sooner than later. “I- I know- Jay.” He said softly, between ragged breaths. He turned his face, covered by the bag, to Jay. “I- I’m just- so terrified that- that she can get out- get off the Isle & find me- find me again.” Jay remembered all too well Carlos’ pitiful state of life on the Isle, forced to sleep in a closet & do all Cruella’s biddings. He, of course, didn’t have it much better at Jafar’s shop, with only a carpet to sleep on & having to steal all sorts of things to keep his father pleased enough not to be disappointed. As they had become settled in Auradon, they had despised their lives more & more, every passing day. Nowadays, they didn’t know what they’d do if they had to go back, as Jay was sure it would mean the end for Carlos. 

After a while, the attack had passed & Carlos had sunken in a deep fitful sleep, as Jay tucked him in & had gone to the teachers of the classes they just missed. They had nodded understandingly, as Fairy Godmother had called them by once before to discus the mental health of the Rotten Four & how their adjusting to life in Auradon would never be without problems, big or small. Even though Carlos had been the one most affected by the entire change, the teachers had been forgiving for all four of them through the weeks since the coronation, when they had proven themselves more than enough for all the teachers who had previously doubted them. They had proven themselves & had earned more than a fair bit of leniency, so many people had said to Fairy Godmother afterwards. When he reached Fairy Godmother, however, she called him aside to discuss his assaulting of Chad earlier. “I have understood that Mr. Charming was less than friendly with you all on more than one occasion, but I had expected you to know better than to assault him in the corridor. His parents have already heard of the incident & were anything but forgiving about it. Jay, I know none of this has been easy,” she rambled on as she gave him her assuring smile, “but you & your friends are well on the way of full recovery to goodness. Please keep such actions to the Tourney-field, if at all. Each student at Auradon prep has their own lives & problems, even ones as seemingly undisturbed or ‘peaceful’ as Mr. Charming.” Even Jay’s protests & exclamations at Chad’s words towards Carlos didn’t sway her. “I know that Mr. de Ville has had several severe panic attacks in the last month, even though he has more than grown throughout that month on many plains. His mental state is known to us, Jay, but we can only offer guidance. Full recovery lies only in his hands & his alone. But,” she exclaimed with a wide smile as she waved her hands about, “that’s not to say you can not help him. We all know your relationship with Mr. de Ville has become much deeper than anyone could have anticipated, so we were hoping that your strength of will & stubbornness could help him through this problem. Young love, after all, is the strongest magic there is.” She smiled again at Jay as she stood up & opened the door for him. After he left her office, he decided to go to mal & Evie, deciding Dude could protect & comfort Carlos much more right now than he could.

Mal was busy feeding Ella, as they had come to call the lizard her mother had become, when Jay knocked on the door & walked in. Evie looked up from her chemistry set as Mal closed the lid on the terrarium & Jay sat himself down on a chair. “He had an attack again, an hour ago.” Mal’s face grew stern as Evie sighed deeply. “That’s his fourth attack this week. I don’t know how or why he has them so much nowadays. He never had them on the Isle.” Evie replied to Mal, as she dropped a few grains of aluminium into an acidic solution as per experiment. “That’s not true. He had them there too, but he always had them in the closet at his house. He told me after he had his first attack here. He never wanted us to worry & if I recall his ramblings of the moment, his mother always punished him whenever she saw him have an attack.” She looked hurt, worried at Carlos who had been like a little brother to her ever since they had become friends. She took Jay’s hand & tried to comfort him, rubbing the back of his hand as she spoke. “It’s okay, Jay, he’ll recover. He’s just trying to adjust still, okay. You know how terrified he was of his mother. Being this free from her influence, I think he knows that he can let his emotions go whenever it’s needed instead of bottling them up as he was used to.” Jay looked up, a deep sadness reflected in his eyes. “I know. That’s why I asked Genie to put the Barrier back up. I wanted Carlos to relax again…” Mal looked at the sad tall boy & turned to the terrarium. “See, mother? Love. Right there. Take a note.” Jay laughed at this, feeling silly to serve as an example for the wickedest evil in the large tank. “If this is love, I don’t want it as badly. I love him, Evie, Mal, but I always feel like I’m broken when he feels bad or had an attack. It’s like someone tears out my heart & sticks pins in it.” Evie looked at Jay, as Mal was swinging her legs over her bed board. “That’s love alright. Awfully, awesomely wonderful & yet incredibly, agonisingly terrible…” Evie smiled disjointedly as she laid her arms about Jay’s shoulders. “Cheer up, J. Why don’t you take a stroll? Keep your mind of it? We’ll go to your dorm & make sure Carlos is taken care off.” Jay stood up, hugging Evie tightly in gratitude. “Thanks, E.” He left their room in silence & soon left the school.

Carlos had been sleeping still when Evie & Mal entered the dorm, slowly closing the curtains & preparing some snacks for when he woke up. They knew his post-rut caring involved lots of chocolate, sugary drinks, loud music & good movies. By now, this had become a ritual, wherein they discussed life in Auradon as they ate candy together & listened to whatever music lifted Carlos’ mood at the moment. They had grown extremely concerned at Carlos’ moods, yet Doug had ensured them it would be all right in the end. “It will grow worse for a while, but if you help him, support him, he’ll get through it & become better.” True, the attacks had grown in number & intensity, but they had become slightly less long & they were hoping this marked the beginning of the end for it. Even his moods after the attacks had become slightly less dark since a while. Still, they worried. This was Carlos they were thinking about, a genius boy who had punctured the Barrier with a self-made machine & managed to keep Cruella agreeable, a task difficult for the most hardy of heroes. They had no doubt he would get through it, but both girls felt as if he was a young brother recovering from immeasurable trauma. In a sense, he was. He had been more like family to them than any of their real families had ever been…

Jay was strolling through the forest edge, trying desperately to think about things other than Carlos. Tourney would have helped better, had the season not ended a week ago. Sure, they still had practice but he had grown somewhat bored of always tackling Chad on the field. He kicked a few pebbles across the path as he went on, listening to the rustling of the leaves around him. It reminded him of the sea, which he had looked upon many times when they were still on the Isle. Even thought no one of the four could really swim, Jay had always been intrigued by the sea. He had imagined the crashing waves as rippling dunes of liquid sand, crashing down upon small kingdoms & burying them forever from sight. He somewhat wishes to see the desert at least once, seeing how his father never shut up about Agrabah this & Agrabah that. Jafar might have been a Grand Vizier & mighty sorcerer before he fell, but nowadays he was little more than a thieving peddler. Jay couldn’t help but smile now at the analogy. Jafar had become more like his nemesis Aladdin than he could ever have dreaded. The irony combined with his dislike of Jafar now send Jay in a giggling fit, as he kept walking. He thought back of Carlos & agreed Mal & Evie had been right. They each had their way of cooping with their past, a way to deal with the horrors & abuse they had endured in ignorance. Jay had flirted with every girl he had seen, hoping to steal the love he so desperately wanted, before being drowned in the love Carlos had grown for him and Jay for Carlos. Mal had tried to destroy Ben’s kingdom in hopes of gaining Maleficent’s approval, before making up her mind to be better than her mother could ever dread & aiding in defeating her. Evie had given up on seducing people with her looks, instead now relying on her increased wits to win people over. And Carlos… Carlos had thrown himself into the sciences they were introduced to, desperate to bury his traumas underneath the knowledge of books & lessons. It worked, indeed, but those traumas were stubborn & often poked up their heads through his composed thinking, as the attacks had proved. Jay had no doubt Carlos would triumph, like he had over the Barrier back then. But still, how could he not worry about the person he loved so deeply, especially now that it had been proven theirs was True Love?

He had been walking a while, turning back towards the school. Even though his thoughts no longer raced in worry & his heart had steadied in beating, he was still dreading the return & how Carlos might react when he saw him again. He wandered the corridor to the dorm, hearing a music softly booming from within. “Good, he’s awake again.” He walked in & saw Carlos seated in the sofa, Mal & Evie on either side, all holding a cup of warm cocoa. A large blanket covered Carlos, who looked up at Jay & smiled tiredly. “Hey, J.” Jay smiled back, removed his jacket & sat before Carlos. “How are you feeling, babe? Are you tired?” He held a loving hand to the freckled cheek of Carlos, who nuzzled his face in the hand. “I’m fine. Tired yeah, but fine. Thanks for bringing me here & making Evie & Mal look out for me.” Jay smiled happily, relieved at the boy’s state. He gave a quick kiss & turned to clean up their room as the three went on talking about various things. Jay felt relieved beyond belief, finally feeling calm himself as he busied himself with removing all the rubbish he & Carlos had made the previous days. He found the apple, lying under a cushion, still looking fresh & red as blood. He held it up & heard Evie gasp. “Jay, is that…” Carlos giggled & explained to the girls. When he came to part where they had eaten, Evie & Mal giggled excessively. “No wonder you were worried, Jay. You thought your true love might not recover.” Mal send a knowing smile to Jay, knowing too well she felt the same when Ben went away at days for official business. Carlos giggled as he & Evie chattered on, both stealing an occasional smirking glance to Jay, before Mal gave up on them & started to help Jay.

Several days passed as Carlos slowly recovered from the attacks he suffered, Jay slowly becoming happier again as Carlos became his old self. But there was also another reason altogether that Jay grew happier. In a few days, it would be their first anniversary, their first month together as a couple & Jay couldn’t be happier. Lonnie & Audrey had agreed to help him in preparing a grand picnic in the forest, Lonnie choosing various recipes to make & Audrey choosing the theme & decorations. Even though the abundance of pastel had initially sickened Jay, he had grown appreciative of it & when the day neared, butterflies hijacked his stomach again. He had separated Carlos & himself from the group during lunch & dropped the question. “Hey, babe. Would you mind sharing a picnic with me tomorrow?” Carlos beamed as he realized the date, flinging his arms around Jay. “Oh, Jay! That’s so cute! Sure I will!” Mal, Evie & Lonnie were looking on from a distance, whooping & cheering as they saw Carlos jump at Jay. The rest of the day went by in a blur as both boys were excitedly waiting the day to end. The next day, Jay slipped out when Carlos was still deeply asleep, visiting Mal & Evie. He found them looking into the terrarium as if they had seen a leprechaun. “What’s wrong, guys?” Evie just waved him closer, pointing at the lizard that was seated on a branch. But, somehow, it seemed… larger? Jay began to share their puzzled look as he faced Mal. “Did- Did she grow?” Mal nodded, unable to speak. Evie then piped up, “Mal just went to check up a few minutes ago & just saw her being bigger. Do you think she learned something about love?” Mal nodded absently, still thinking about the implications this had. “I guess you should tell Fairy Godmother, no?” Jay said, as Mal straightened up with the puzzled look still on her face. “Yeah, yeah I guess so…” Jay didn’t have time to worry about Ella’s growth as he tugged Evie along towards the picnic site. “We still have to fix the site, E.” Evie went along, begrudgingly first, giggling afterwards. She had worked together with Audrey to clean up the site & decorate it with enormous banners bearing Jay’s & Carlos’ name. Even Tink had shown up & made sure many of her friends where regularly showering the site with fairy-dust & glitter. All in all, the end result looked like a princess’s dream-date come true.

Jay was nervously waiting at their dorm-door, waiting for Carlos to finish dressing up. When the young boy finally came out, a large grin on his face, Jay was momentarily speechless at how beautiful he looked. Clothed in red, Carlos’ outfit looked more like one of Jay’s. His shorts were decorated in small golden prints of hearts imprinted with paw-prints, with large cufflinks decorating the sleeves of a breezy vest that showed a colourful shirt underneath. Carlos smiled at Jay’s awestruck face. “Yeah, it’s not my usual, but I thought it better to show to people that I’m yours now.” Jay managed to compose himself, putting an arm behind Carlos, slowly taking the boy in his arms. “You look perfect, babe.” Carlos blushed as their bodies connected. Slowly they parted & went their way to the site, as Jay blindfolded Carlos before they exited the school. Lonnie & Audrey were busily crowding about a window high up & were giggling loudly beyond hearing as Jay guided Carlos into the forest. After a few minutes of stumbling, they arrived at the picnic. As Jay slowly undid the blindfold, a few fairies quickly zoomed overhead & showered the scene with fairy-dust. When Carlos at last opened his eyes, he stood awestruck, unable to move. Before him was spread an enormous blanket, several square meters large, a pale red pastel dotted with dozens upon dozens of white paw-prints & snake-icons as above it there hung a large banner all around the perimeter of the clearing. Upon the blanket, a large array of pastries & candies was displayed, centred around an enormous fruitcake nearly half of Carlos’ height. Several cups, filled with juice, soft drinks & soft wines were dotted throughout the sugary display. The dust, slowly drifting down, reflected the sun in a thousand flickers as it slowly broke through the clouds above.

“Jay, it looks amazing!” Carlos screamed as he turned & flung about the tall teen. Peppering his neck with kisses, Carlos hung on as Jay slowly waddled themselves over to the blanket. “Please let go, babe. We still need to enjoy the picnic.” He set Carlos down onto the blanket as the boy let go, plopping him near the array of chocolate which, Jay was not sorry to notice afterwards, lasted not long enough to see the first round of fairy dust hit the forest floor. Carlos could hardly contain himself as he tried to taste all the goodies as fast as he could. On the Isle, good things didn’t last long, candy the least of all, and some habits you can hardly ever break. Jay let Carlos do his thing, as he just sat staring at the ravenous teen’s delight with the scene. When after a while, Carlos was starting to slow down on the candy, Jay decided to join in & share several pieces of pie with him. Discovering the whipped cream by the pies, Carlos quickly discovered Jay knew how to use it to tease him into some rough play. Whipping a spoonful of Carlos’ nose & attempting to lick it of afterwards, Jay managed to get Carlos in a tickling war, carefully trying to avoid knocking over any of the foods. Eventually, Jay decided it was time to test the enormous fruitcake & slowly began cutting a piece from it. After the first cut, a slow trickle of chocolate & cream flowed down unto the large plate upon which the cake was set, which Jay scooped up & placed on top of their slices. “Lonnie has really outdone herself with this,” Jay thought silently to himself as he & Carlos took the first bites, “this cake is just amazing.” Carlos was moaning in delight as he took another piece of the cake. After several pieces, it seemed that the boy’s seemingly unending appetite was satiated as he leaned back with a dazed smile. “Best celebration ever,” he muttered softly to Jay, “much better than the howler at Hell Hall back when.” Jay smiled, glad he succeeded in making the boy feel better than ever. “You know,” Jay replied, “that party was the first time I ever really, really noticed you.” Carlos blushed as he remembered the party he had planned on order of Mal several years ago. “Before that, I just thought you were a gigantic idiot dork. But seeing you worry back then & hearing all the stories afterwards, I really was glad that you enjoyed the evening none the less.” Jay smiled softly at the boy next to him, as another round of fairy-dust fell from the sky. He softly leaned in to place a small kiss on the boy’s freckled cheek. How he loved those freckles now, even more than himself…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Yago is supposed to be on the Isle, something I had overlooked before. I managed to read "The Isle of the Lost" today & am now fully up-to-date with who lived on the Isle & who didn't. In my opinion, Yago probably always was a spy for Auradon, checking in on Jafar at all time on behalf of Aladdin.
> 
> Edit; Changed some dialogue, updated descriptions, added new lines. Word count went up by about 750.


	5. Love & Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their anniversary date has gone perfectly, as it draws near its end yet instincts flare up in the minds of both boys as something fundamentally changes with their very own ways of thinking.

Jay gripped Carlos, slowly cuddling the boy into position on his lap as they slowly began kissing, theor tongues flitting between their parted lips. It had been a few weeks since they had claimed each other’s virginity in their dorm, and even though they had kissed, cuddled & caressed one another, they hadn’t done it again. And Jay could feel Carlos wished it again, sensing the boy’s utter restraint under his fingers, as Carlos shuddered slightly when their tongues slid over their lips again & into their mouths. Jay too had been eager to try it again, even though he still feared hurting Carlos in some way. Somehow, someway, that kind of intimacy, that level of deep connection should remain somewhat sacred, so jay thought. And yet, as they sat there, on the blanket, enclosed by a guarding rings of dense trees, showered with fairy-dust & covered by a bright sun, it felt somehow as if now would be the most perfect moment & place. Jay’s tongue slid against Carlos’ teeth, licking away a stray piece of chocolate, lapping it into his own mouth before returning it into Carlos’. The small boy, cradled in Jay’s strong arms, his arms softly laid around Jay’s shoulders, moaned as he tasted the chocolate mixed with Jay’s own taste. Carlos had begun to notice how Jay’s scents, sounds & tastes were beginning to imprint on him, as he began to remember them dearly & react to them with a mix of love, anticipation & eagerness. At times he had smelled Jay’s musky odour around him, when he had worn some clothes they had shared in a heated kissing-session, causing him to deeply inhale it. Such scent alone had been enough to send him reeling in vague lust, arousing a deep wish in his stomach & causing raging erections which seemed to hold up for hours on end if he didn’t deal with them properly. Jay had noticed it just once, making a smirky comment about it before he had begun rubbing against Carlos’ erection through his pants with the palm of his hand. At the moment, Jay had merely meant to tease Carlos into a fit of embarrassment, but the feeling had made Carlos moan more than softly as the feeling had hazed his vision & blurred all outlines of the world as he had seen it. Jay had been immensely surprised at this & it had caused him, though thoroughly enjoying the scene, not to repeat the action unless they were safely in the confines of their own locked dorm-room & privacy.

Carlos slowly began straddling Jay’s hips, bearing down his small bottom up & down Jay’s growing erection, which had become restrained by the tight-fit leather pants Jay was wearing. A moan had escaped Jay, making him blush as he had realized it while Carlos merely grinned as the sound had whipped up his lust like a raging animal. He could feel his blood rushing, could almost hear his own heartbeat pumping in his ears as his vision began to haze again & he deeply inhaled jay’s scent as he burried his face in the crook of Jay’s neck. Although he had been slightly concerned about this the first time around, Carlos didn’t notice it now as lust was driving him on to solely focus on Jay & the pleasure he could give the muscled lover. Yes, muscles – his thoughts were noticing the details now, how Jay’s biceps bulged against the outlines of his sleeves, how his shoulders strained against the jacket, how his thighs were screaming against the seams of his paints to be free. And free they would be, Carlos knew as he grinned deviously & pushed down harder against Jay’s erection again. He wished to explore Jay’s body in the light of day, to enjoy every freckle, admire each rolling muscle & envy the smooth skin Jay sported. A skin so soft, smooth & dark, it reminded him of chocolate. Sometimes he would discover a scar, a memory to their though youth, but in his eyes, even these small tragedies had begun to sport an air of romance, seeming to him medals of valour, strength, bravura, … And he studied each scar he found, asking Jay how he got it, listening to the tale if Jay wished to share it, concluding the tale with a kiss on the scar to add a good memory to it & then proceeding to give it a name. It was this habit that made Jay excited to share the tales at all, seeing how he simply adored Carlos’ silly wish to give his scars names. Yet, when Jay tried the same with those scars on Carlos’ small frame, he always encountered a wall of reserve, a wish to keep certain things behind barriers of a wish not to remember at all. And still, Jay got Carlos to talk about some. And he too would finish the tales with a kiss & a naming. Although it hadn’t encouraged Carlos to be more open about the tales, Jay had noticed C had become less ashamed of the scars, now even sporting open jackets sometimes that would occasionally show them. After seeing how nobody had made any snide remarks at them, Carlos had become more at ease as the days went on.

Carlos let his lips wander away from Jay’s, begetting a dissatisfied groan from the strong teen, as he slowly made them slide down Jay’s strong neck. Softly sucking at certain places Carlos had gotten to know very well, he teased out several more moans from Jay who had merely placed a hand on Carlos’ neck & was guiding Carlos further down. Slowly descending further, Carlos left a trail of wets spots & small bruises along Jay’s neck as he kept sucking at the skin & lapping at the bruises. Slowly he began to unbutton the leather vest Jay was wearing as Jay merely threw back his head & moaned, one hand of Carlos’ neck, the other beneath him as he supported them both on his arm. Carlos’ nimble hands slowly slid underneath Jay’s mesh-shirt, softly flicking & encircling Jay’s hard nipples which were visible through the fabric. This enticed more moans from Jay’s lips & he started to slowly push his hips against Carlos’ bottom again. His large erection teasing the small boy through several layers of fabric, Carlos felt how his own body wished to again be filled with Jay’s cock & feel that deep connection from before. Images flashed before Carlos’ mind, sounds, scents, ideas, … “Lust-want-mine-be-bred-filled wholly-…” Unable to clearly focus, Carlos fumblingly tried to undone his own vest when Jay’s vest fell down his shoulders & bared his strong shoulders. After a few failed attempts, Jay let go of his neck & helped him, slowly undoing the buttons & quickly pulling the vest away from the heated & exceedingly hasty boy in his lap. Jay looked at Carlos, looking down upon his head as Carlos continued trailing his lips & tongue down Jay’s torso. “Fuck, why do I want this so badly?” Jay was thinking about all those times that he had hoped a reaction such as this would make itself know to him throughout his flirtatious love-life. Never, not once, had he ever felt like this for any of the people he had wooed, on the Isle & outside of it. A word flashed in his mind, kept recurring throughout the whole session. “My mate-mine…” He knew, had always known, that the boy eagerly exploring his chest was to be his only real mate. How, he could not guess, yet it always made itself known, like a great snake coiling in his chest whenever he saw – no, sensed Carlos near him. Yeah, as he tried to remember, he recalled those words. They had slithered their way into his mind numerous times before. In the tree-house of Carlos when he had shown the hole his machine had made, “my genius mate-…”, when he had won over the pesterous gargoyles at the Forbidden Castle, “my brave boy-good boy-good mate-…”, when he had stood up against Cruella during the video-chat prior to the Coronation, “my mate-hurt-biting-brave-…”, … The word kept coming back, again & again, …

“My mate…” Carlos looked up, a curious look on his flushed face as he heard Jay mutter the words softly, as if in a dream. Jay hadn’t realized, annoyed when Carlos stopped his kissing & looking down on the boy again to see why he had stopped. “Why did you stop, babe?” Carlos smiled as if he had just heard his mother had fallen over dead into an alligator-pit, his red softly swollen lips curling. “Your mate?” Carlos repeated feebly, as if fearing the answer or explanation. Jay had realized what had happened, a little panicked look furrowing his frown before suddenly realizing the truth in itself. He had made up his mind, long ago – he might just as well just say it in Carlos’ face. “Yeah, babe, my mate. You’re my mate.” He placed his free hand softly against Carlos’ cheek, seeing the boy’s smile grow & his face brighten even more than he had thought possible. Suddenly, as if realizing what he stopped doing, Carlos stooped down again, his lips closing around Jay’s nipples as he pulled the mesh shirt over Jay’s head. The sensation made Jay moan deeply, the sigh beginning deep within his stomach & rolling up through his chest where Carlos could feel it build up as a deep purr that passed upwards. Aroused beyond control, Jay placed his hand even more firmly on Carlos’ neck & slowly forced the boy down to his hips, where his cock was throbbing impatiently against the pants. As Carlos took in the sight & let his hands slide around the silhouette of the throbbing erection, he let a finger slowly stroke downthe erection he so desperately wanted to fit inside of him, no matter through what hole. Quickly unbuttoning the pants & letting the large dick free from its narrow confines, Carlos gasped as Jay’s scent was released along with it. Musk, sweat, deodorant, … it all mixed into a scent, which sent Carlos reeling back in a rage of dizzying lust. Jay, looking somewhat concerned, quickly catched the boy. “Babe, what’s wrong?” Carlos looked feebly at Jay through his blurry vision, trying to reply. “Nothing – just, smells so good – smells perfect…” Jay smirked awkwardly at this before letting the boy down again, Carlos slowly getting back in position. He approached Jay’s groin, deeply inhaling the scent he so greatly loved. He opened his mouth, tongue slowly going up the shaft as he slowly pulled Jay’s pants down even further. Coming to the tip, he paused, admiring the thick head, covered still with its foreskin, as a string of precum was visible. It had been released early on, Carlos made out, as it connected to a large patch of wet on Jay’s stomach & noticed a dark stain on the boxer now tucked away in the downed pants. Slowly he brought his tongue to it, softly lapping up the drip & catching the string on it. The taste of it, hearty as dark chocolate yet salty, reminded Carlos so much of his idea of a perfect candy he couldn’t think of anything else but how perfect it would taste en masse. Determined to acquire more, he assuredly lowered his closed lips over the tip, slowly letting them part as the head pushed against them. Jay lay back, looking down on the boy’s lips closed around his erection, proud his mate knew how to take care of him. “Good mate-good boy…” His thoughts, nearly animalistic in simplicity, were thunderingly loud. They demanded more. “Claim! Breed! Fill!” With all his effort, Jay restrained himself from pushing his hips up & forcing his large erection completely in Carlos’ eager mouth in a second. Instincts merely wished to see the boy gag on his dick, to see it as deep down his throat as it could. It demanded even more after those thought. “Fill his ass! Bury deep within! Breed! Fill!” 

I took all Jay’s mental effort to remain still & merely try to enjoy the first real blowjob Carlos was gifting him. He gazed down upon the boy, whose head was bopping in a steady rhythm now, as his tongue lapped around his cock & his lips held firm against the skin of the erection. Carlos was eager not to let a single drop of Jay’s perfect fluids escape his lapping tongue. He felt it coming in a steady flow now, soft droplets being forced out by a body eager to fill him with as much of it as he could. Carlos’ nostrils flared, filled with the musky scent with every inhalation, as his own erection was raging now, throbbing on his own shorts, wishing to please Jay in its own ways & to serve his alpha. “Alpha?” Carlos thought, surprised at the choice of words. “Not my mate – my alpha…” He went on, feeling it was more right, more fitting. Here, in this moment, Jay was not his lover, not his mate but his superior, his master – his alpha. The word filled his resolve to please Jay, made it swell beyond even Carlos’ expectations. He wanted Jay to use him, to make him his slave. He let the cock slip from his mouth, strings of saliva mixed with pre-cum connecting his lips to it still. He looked up at Jay, whose eyes were blazing with a lust Carlos knew all too well. “Breed me, daddy.” Jay looked mildly surprised, though the lust in his eyes didn’t lessen. His characteristic smirk appeared, now even more daring as a feeling of ultimate mischievous & lust mixed behind it. It made Carlos speechless, seeing Jay look down upon him in this scene. He whimpered, feeling he should do more to please Jay. He quickly removed his clothes & tugged off those still clinging to Jay’s body. He looked at Jay, his blurred gaze focussing on all the details he could concern. The small hairs around his nipples, the soft scars dotted about his hands & arms, the trail of dark hairs running down from his navel to his groin, the lines where his muscled torso met his trained hips & thighs, the dimples in his buttocks which just showed in sight… Carlos stood simply gazing, forcing Jay to take matters in his own hands. Sitting up, he took the pale boy by the arms & laid him down beneath him. Jay too gazed at Carlos for moments, trying to remember every detail he could see while his thoughts were loudly roaring in the back of his mind. He had counted the freckles in Carlos’ face long ago, 109, a blanket of fading freckles as it went from his face down his shoulders, a collection of straight scars on his upper arm, self-inflicted he realized with a pang in his heart, the word “DOG” carved in his other upper-arm, done by Cruella in a fit of her unusual rage, … He loved this boy, with all his heart, as instinct & mind combined in a single voice, “Kill those who hurt our mate!” He couldn’t bear the thought of the boy enduring more hurt, getting more scars, losing anymore freckles to badly healed wounds…

Jay slowly rubbed his hips against Carlos’, who responded with a moan as their erections met between their sweating bodies. Wishing more, Carlos’ pushed up as Jay would push down, enlarging the friction between their hips, increasing the pleasure they got from it. Jay’s head bent down, his teeth grazing Carlos’ neck. A thought had seized him, “Mark out mate.” He wished with whole his mind to act on it, setting his teeth slowly into a nearly unfreckled patch if skin above Carlos’ collarbone. Carlos, realizing what Jay was about to do, braced for the pain, wishing it to be done as much as Jay did. Jay bit down, his sharp canines piercing the boy’s pale & soft skin. Carlos grunted, rocking his hips up harder than before, wishing to distract from the pain & link it with the pleasure of the moment. Moaning himself, Jay kept biting down, slowly tearing the skin with the rest of his teeth, as the first droplets of blood welled from the first punctures. After a few seconds, Jay let go, looking down upon his work. A large mark, nearly perfectly round, brandished Carlos’ neck now, large droplets of blood welling up now. Wishing to care for Carlos, Jay bent down again, lapping up the blood & softly sucking at the wound. The pain dulled, as Jay softly sucked, making Carlos moan again as their hips kept rocking against each other. Carlos knew that what Jay had done was more than just a simple bite. It was a mark, for all to see now, a sign he had become his, eternally & irrevocably… They were now bound, as alpha & omega.

Both young men felt their union was reaching its first climax, as Jay felt the familiar feeling of a rising orgasm rise from his stomach. He grunted, “I’m gonna come, babe. You ready?” He didn’t wait for an answer, knowing full well that Carlos was close to coming as well. Besides, wasn’t the boy’s only duty now to pleasure Jay, to be his plaything? Jay could see it in Carlos’ eyes, that same lust which propelled his grinding against the boy’s hips. He moaned deeply, the sound escaping him nearly more a roar than a moan. As Jay’s throbbing erection shots its load between their stomachs & coated Carlos in a salty slick fluid, Carlos reached his own climax. Tipped over the edge by Jay’s roar of approval, a sound almost heavenly to Carlos’ lust-filled mind, he felt his own orgasm rise from within, as he wrapped his legs about Jay’s thighs & gripped down with his arms on Jay’s torso. He moaned, so highly it sounded almost like a whine, as his own cum spurted between their bodies & mingled with Jay’s own load. The feeling of ecstacy filled him, from his very toes to the very tips of every hair, or so it seemed. He felt Jay’s presence, Jay’s own orgasm somehow mixing with his own. The feeling, the sensation, almost became too much as they moaned loudly in unison. The same happened with Jay, so he felt, as the strong boy almost buckled unto Carlos, his arms greatly quivering as he barely kept up. Jay looked hazily down upon Carlos, feeling weakly yet not fulfilled. Still the instincts in his head were shouting to breed the boy, to fill him with everything he got. As he saw Carlos lazily relax from their shared orgasm, he lifted the boy up & put him with his back against his chest. Carlos knew what was coming, having expected it from the beginning & knowing that neither of them could be content with just a single orgasm, not now at least. He could feel Jay’s erection linger on, not becoming less but seemingly strengthening again. Jay slid a hand along Carlos’ chest, covering it in the mixed slick both had shot & covering his erection in it, wetting it as to better penetrate the small boy. Carlos bend slightly over, pushing his bottom against Jay’s eager hips. Instinct taking over, Jay posed himself & roughly penetrated the boy in a single thrust, forcing his hard member inside of Carlos. Wincing loudly & nearly screaming in pain & surprise, Carlos buckled over, knees giving in beneath & collapsing down upon the blanket. He could feel Jay’s throbbing erection tearing his hole, forcing it wider faster than ever before. Already Jay began pumping the boy’s ass, unrelenting in his instincts, as Carlos’ own instincts began to take over & dulled the pain. This was his true & only purpose, to be bred by his alpha, to be filled & used as Jay saw fit. He could feel it all, Jay’s dick sliding in and out, every inch he hit inside, the feeling of being filled taking over his mind, as Carlos began panting in rhythm with the thrusts, his tongue hanging out in lust as his vision again blurred. Jay couldn’t think anymore, his only wish to fill the boy with his seed, to bury it deep within the boy’s virgin regions – for he would penetrate the boy deeper than ever before & make sure no one would ever bury their seed within his mate, ever. He grunted, his breathing became raggedly as he kept thrusting faster into the thight hole of the small boy beneath him. He could feel every inch of the boy’s inside, feel every little bump & how Carlos’ tight cunt constricted against his erection whenever he slid partly out. “Fuck! So tight!” Jay could sense it wouldn’t take long, knew their second climax would come a lot quicker than the first one. He could feel Carlos’ cunt clamp against his dick whenever he was at a certain depth, knowing he then hit the boy’s prostate & forced a small gasp from him. 

Jay gripped the boy by his short hair, his fingers tugging at the blonde tips whenever he thrusted deeper into the boy. The moans of pleasure & pain coming from the boy were alike music to his ears, as he ran his nails along the boy’s back. Red streaks appeared here & there, as the boy was being rocked by the strenght of Jay’s deep thrusts. Jay could feel it rising again, this feeling of orgasmic union, as his own climax started & kick-started the boy’s climax. Beneath him, Carlos again came, a few strand of cum flying out of his untouched erection as Jay spent his seed deep within Carlos’ ass. He roared again, in unison with Carlos’ whine, as their sensations mingled again in a way they couldn’t describe or fathom. Jay kept thrusting after he came, determined to stow his seed further down into the boy, Carlos giving no complaint as he merely kept on panting & whimpering in pleasure. Somehow, still not being spent, Jay felt he could keep going on as his instincts were still talking, though less loudly than before. The rhythm kept on, even though Carlos could not keep his erection up anymore. After another dozen or so minutes, Jay felt he could reach his third climax & quickly pulled out of Carlos, large strings of cum clinging to his erection. Pulling to boy around & placing his open mouth beneath him, Jay simply forced the climax via a short hand-job & shot his third load in Carlos’ eager mouth. A few drops flew out, landing on Carlos’ tongue, lapping it up eagerly as Jay merely grunted his pleasure at the sight. Taking the boy by the chin, he lifted Carlos’ head & smilingly licked a few stray droplets of cum from his face before sharing them in a sloppy kiss. As they parted lips & each sat tiredly down, they looked dazedly at each other, both sporting a lazy grin on their face. “Well… That was different.” Carlos eventually managed to say as they were trying to relax their breathing.

Jay had begun to inspect the mark he left on Carlos’ neck, frowning slightly as Carlos cringed when Jay was touching it. “Does it hurt?” Jay asked worriedly as he placed his hand over it as if to dull the pain, “Not really, it just stings a bit when you press on it, but I don’t care.” Carlos looked at Jay as he placed his own hand over Jay’s, a soft grin showing through his swollen & chapped lips. Jay was laughing softly, as his eyes began to wander about the pale boy seated naked before him, his eyes lingering about those freckles & spots he loved the most. “Curses, babe, you look beautiful.” Carlos giggled at this, looking down as he began to blush red. He looked up & down over Jay’s own form, cooing a soft reply as his eyes lingered over Jay’s own reddened lips where the blood from his mark was drying up in the corners. “You don’t look half-bad either, J.” Jay merely grinned, as he messed with Carlos’ hair a bit. Carlos closed his eyes & was enjoying the sensation of Jay’s fingers combing through his hair. “Jay, what just happened?” Jay paused his fingers, as he looked to Carlos, trying to think yp a reply about it. “I don’t really know, babe. I just-“ Carlos cut him off, a deep blush reddening his pale & freckled face, “You just wanted to own me?” Jay, looking somewhat hurt, stared down from Carlos as he merely affirmed the boy’s answer. “I’m sorry, babe, I don’t know what came over me.” Carlos smiled feebly, as he just shaked his head. “No, Jay, don’t say sorry. I had the exact same feeling just now. I just – I just had to be owned by you. And I still want.” Jay frowned as Carlos answered, vaguely aware that the intrusive thoughts were indeed still there, deep in the back of his mind. And Carlos had them too? This was just too strange to him, even thought his subconscious was purring a sigh of contentment & ease. It was strange, yet not bad – Jay couldn’t really begin to explain it to himself so he was more than grateful that Carlos understood it perfectly without needing an explanation.

Carlos shuffled himself in Jay’s lap once more, straddling the dark teens crossed legs sideways, putting his arms about Jay’s waist. Slowly enclosing his own arms about the pale teen, Jay fidgeted a bit, letting Carlos settle comfortable in his lap. But as if the touch of their naked bodies wasn’t enough to stir his instincts again, Jay could hardly keep himself composed as he felt the boy wince softly when his lingering erection brushed the boy’s painful hole. Jay cursed internally, hating himself for having hurt Carlos who seemed to notice Jay’s tensing up at Carlos’ whine of pain. “It’s nothing, J. It hurts, but I don’t mind.” He placed his hands of Jay’s muscled chest & rubbed it, trying to ease Jay’s conscience. Carlos truly did not mind that his asshole hurt like shit, after Jay had ravaged it in their unbelievable lust, yet the pain held an important truth for his own feelings & instincts. “Claimed-bred-seeded-his!” His primal instincts were happy to have been fucked as he was by Jay. It had all felt so right that not doing it would have been a sort of blasphemy. Carlos was somehow reminded of pack-behaviour, something he had begun to study after beginning to take care of Dude. Indeed, it was so much like pack-behaviour that he wondered how it had come to be. Jay had become his alpha, somehow, & Carlos was Jay’s beta? No, they were not really on equal footing. He stood below Jay, but not as less an equal but like – like… an omega. The word filled itself in, half a memory of a book, half an automatic instinct. Alpha & omega, Carlos milled the words through his mind, the sound of them calming him mentally. The beginning & the end, the way & the end… He looked up at Jay, whose eyes were red, as if he had begun to cry. But no tears were rolling down Jay’s sharp cheeks. “Jay, what’s wrong?” Carlos cooed as he placed a hand on Jay’s cheek. The tall teen looked down upon Carlos. “I – I’m just so in love with you, babe. I love you so much that my heart breaks when you cry or moan, be it from pain or pleasure.” Jay shook his head, holding back stinging tears as he went on. “How can love be so painful, babe? I feel like the world would end if I hadn’t gotten you now.” Carlos could do nothing but rub his hand on Jay’s cheek, assuring the sobbing teen he felt just the same way. He cooed at his alpha, as he begun to think about Jay now, affirming how he was Jay’s now & could never again leave him, seeing how Jay had marked him. “Jay, I promise you – I will never leave you. Never!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, we have somewhat ventured into an Alpha/Omega AU, even though it is somewhat a less pronounced form. In essence, the Alpha/Omega related feelings & scenes are only present in True Love relationships, relations where there always exist the terms of Alpha, Beta & Omega always exist in some form.
> 
> Also, well, smut. The first real smut-chapter since Chapter 1.


	6. Learning New Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys begin to realize just what True-Love means if it changes their biology in a way they never could have expected. So, will they tie the knot or not?

Getting properly dressed up again was more difficult than they had imagined when they finally got around to it. In their lust, several cakes had suffered casualties & although most were still good, a few had taken too close an inspection of their clothes as they had been tossed about in the heat of the moment. Jay’s jacket had taken the worst damage, having landed right on top of a cherry-filled whipped-cream tartelette. Their own states too made dressing less than easy when the problem of their clothes was solved. Carlos was covered in cum, smeared all across his stomach & chest & mostly dried up already by the time they got up. It didn’t clean off easily & he had to be satisfied with being just dry enough for his clothes not to stick to his entire chest, instead simply clinging to a few wet spots which hadn’t been able to dry yet. Jay too had been covered in fluids, though less abundantly than Carlos had been. Cleaning his chest was much easier & Carlos had been more than happy to help the cleaning by offering to lick it all off. Jay had reluctantly agreed, awkwardly gazing down on the boy as he had licked the streaks of cum from Jay’s toned & muscled abdomen & chest. The sight had been nearly enough to send him into a fit of lust again, it would have had if it had continued on any longer than it had. Carlos had thoroughly enjoyed the mingled tastes of their sperm, Jay’s chocolate-like flavours mixing with his own tangy spice-flavoured cum. Together, it was an intoxicating combination, Carlos thought. Before they had begun to get dressed, Jay had demanded Carlos to let him inspect his ravaged hole. After a few attempts to appease Jay by saying, “It’s fine, doesn’t hurt”, Carlos had given in & laid himself on his stomach as Jay inspected the damage. Carlos had been lucky, Jay found, as no tears were visible, even though Jay had been sure he’d teared Carlos’ tight ass wide open when he had thrusted for the first time. Although looking a bit red & swollen, Jay conceded & said Carlos was right. It had amazed the tall teen how Carlos was so resilient. Men of older age would assuredly have been wounded by such a rough fuck, but apparently Carlos’ small fourteen-year-old frame possessed incredible endurance & healing properties. Jay was impressed, he admitted to Carlos’ later, at how Carlos had been able to taking it all so fluently. “Glad to see my mate can take a beating.” He had said jokingly, both boys remembered all too well how frequently Carlos managed to get beaten on the Isle, where he had always been seen as the ultimate runt of the litter, thé target for bullies.

Eventually gotten dressed, they had commenced to call down the fairies that had been curiously absent during their rut. They quickly flitted down from the canopy around the clearing & began to remove the surviving pastries to their new owners. Jay had planned that any cakes still untouched or edible were to be handed down to their friends. The big fruitcake however went straight for their own dorm-room window, as Jay had found it a gift worthy to Carlos & Carlos only. Carlos had whined softly when they got up, his bottom hurting from their rut. Jay had supported the small boy & together, they had slowly begun to walk back towards the school. Several long hours had passed & the sun hung low in the distant horizon, dipping just below the canopied horizon of the forest-enclosed school. When they reached their room, Jay had stripped Carlos down & commanded his pale mate to take a long warm shower & recover from their date. It didn’t take long before Mal & Evie were knocking excitedly at their door while Carlos was still showering. They skipped inside & quickly sat themselves at the large table in the centre of the chamber. “So? How did it go?” Evie questioned giggling, clapping her hands together softly as Mal sat smirking at Jay. She had smelled it when they came in, a scent familiar to her from her own relationship with Ben. Both alphas, their unions were of the most intense there existed, she had found out after researching just why it had been so overwhelming to be with Ben in privacy. She had found out, after a very long search into obscure books of biology, magic & anthropology, that so-called True-Love relationships triggered what were known as beta-mechanics in the human body. In short, when True-Love is confirmed, instincts are immensely amplified in every single way, all in an attempt to protect the members of the relationship. And one of those ways, scent, had been the first she submitted to her own pure will, something the books had told her was nearly impossible to do – seeing how many beta’s & omega’s would loose all self-control when encountering certain scents. Mal had been training herself to it, getting used to the scent of Ben’s lust & encountering it with her pure will. And now she could smell it on Jay, a rough scent, a combination of sweet spices, which she had smelled faintly on Carlos before, & of bitter chocolate, which she recognized as belonging to Jay. “They rutted.” Mal spoke boldly, holding the smirk on her face as Evie’s eyes pulled wide & formed a small O with her mouth in speechless surprise. Jay was taken aback, even more surprised than Evie was at how easily Mal had found out. “But? How? I mean-“ Jay began, before Mal cut him off, “I can smell it on you. You’re wearing Carlos’ scent. And it’s so strong, meaning it could only have gotten on you in one way.” Jay remembered their being covered in each other’s fluids. Could those have- No, they couldn’t have, could they? His mind raced as Evie was fluttering her hands about her face after recovering from the surprise. “I can’t believe it! Mal, you were right!” Evie squinted her eyes, beginning to giggle uncontrollably. “And with Carlos none the less! Wow, Jay, I’m surprised you’re a beta.” Jay lifted a brow, looking at Evie in puzzlement. “Me? A beta? Eh – naha, I don’t think so.” He smirked as Mal nodded in agreement with Jay. “Hate to break it to ya, E., but Jay is as much a beta as a dog is a cat. He’s an alpha, I can smell.” Evie looked somewhat heart-broken, as she had hoped Carlos’d turn out to be an alpha. It would have made for the perfect story, of how sweet innocent Carlos, runt of the litter, would turn out to be an all-controlling alpha ruling over his mate Jay. Allas, some things never turn out like the fairy-tales, Evie sighed to herself.

They continued in awkward bantering until Carlos stepped from the bathroom, clothed in large shorts & shirt, both belonging to Jay, which he had begun to wear every night, simply to be enveloped in Jay’s smell. He smiled happily at the girls who greeted him enthusiastically, until he noticed Jay staring awkwardly at the floor. “Jay? What’s wrong?” Carlos faced Jay, as Mal replied. “I figured out you two love-birds rutted during your date.” Carlos flushed red in an instant, his freckles standing out against his red skin. Evie was excitedly whispering in Mal’s ear as Jay nervously laughed a smile at Carlos. “Busted, babe. Guess we couldn’t keep that quiet.” Mal pointed at Carlos’ neck, having been alerted by Evie. “Especially with that Mark on your neck, plainly visible to see to all, you idiots.” She grinned, as Carlos placed his hand over the bite, which had recessed to the back of his mind as a constant dull low throb of soft pain. He walked over to the mirror, inspecting the bite with his own eyes for the first time. He hadn’t taken heed of it in the bathroom, having been focussed solely on cleaning his body from all the sweat, slick & cum it had been covered in. Now he saw it plain as day, a large perfectly round bruise, with a ring of punctures in it, tiny dots of red in a large swat of blueing skin. His heart beat loudly at the sight, as his instincts came crawling from the back of his mind, along with the throb if the Mark’s dull pain. “Marked-claimed,” they whispered in his mind as he felt his fingers circle the bite. He noticed the others watching him from his back as he circled the bite. “Yup, Marked, C. You can ignore it all you want, but everyone will know now.” Mal said, as she whipped out her notebook & recited from it a paragraph from one of the oldest books she found on the subject. “Truly, they who beareth their Marks are acclaimed by their Mates for all to see, for no matter what they do, the Mark shall fade yet not disappear & always proclaimed it their possession to their Alpha.” Carlos felt his blood rush to his face once more, as Jay couldn’t help but grin & laugh at it. “Yoh, C., should we make a nameplate too perhaps? Seal the deal? Oh wait, I already did! And you’re wearing it!” Jay grinned as Carlos fingered the nameplate that hung from the collar he was wearing, a gift from Jay to celebrate their coming together weeks ago. Carlos couldn’t help but grin with Jay, as he saw his infectious smile. He bumped his fist against Jay’s shoulder, who acted hurt & whined for a kiss to make up for the pain. Carlos gave in, placing a soft kiss on Jay’s cheek before ushering the tall boy into the bathroom to clean himself now. Muttering defiantly beneath his breath, Jay obediently hurried into the bathroom as Carlos seated him with the girls.

Carlos looked at Mal & asked how much she had come to know about this whole beta-business. She had talked about it with them on a few occasions, but he had never really believed any of it. Not until one day, when Ben had flung himself at Mal in the midst of a rut that had started without warning. Everyone had smelled Ben’s scent & seeing how they had all become afraid & attracted to his presence by it, they readily believed Mal from then on, especially when she ushered Ben to be calm & had ordered him to go home alone to ride out the rut. The sternness in her eyes & the power of her voice had enthralled all of them temporarily & Ben, having been trained to it by Mal in their free time outside of his bi-monthly ruts, listened meekly & had gone home. Mal had been spending most of her free time, when not with the Rotten Four, scouring the vast libraries Belle had accumulated through gift & purchase. Apparently Belle too had studied the phenomenon as she had showed Mal a locked section in the deepest library of her castle when Mal timidly had shared her questions about this strang phenomenon. The section wasn’t great, but the books in it, vast tomes as large of children & as old & dusty as the mountains of Agrabah, were immensely helpful. It turned out that, before the Fairy-tale-Era, True-Love beta-mechanics had been nigh unknown. True-Love had been such a rare occurrence in those years that when it had happened, those who experienced the beta-mechanics, had no one to talk about it with. The oldest tomes were the least helpful, but nearing the Fairy-tale-Era, the tomes became increasingly informative & useful. Mal had studied those books for a long while, as the Rotten Four had hardly seen her for almost a month after she began. But in the end, she had compiled a most comprehensive notebook about the subject, listing the most important points & noting the rarest effects. In short, it went like this…

There are three Archetypes; Alpha, Beta & Omega. Notes mention a fourth unnamed type, but never specify it. In each type, there is a distinciton between those who fit completely in the normal niche, who are called Passives, & there are those who lean towards any of the other types, who are called Actives. As such, for example, Passive Alpha’s are very alike Active Beta’s, while Active Omega’s are more like Passive Alpha’s, and so on…

Alphas are usually strong people, of will or body, but not always, making up between 5 & 10% of a population. They all experience a rut at least once or twice a year, but some Alpha’s can have a rut up to six or twelve times. Beta’s are most common, making up at least 85% of a population, & are seldom in rut. Omega’s are the rarest Archetype, making up less than 5% of a population, & are solely compatible with Alpha’s. They experience a rut at least six times a year, some experiencing it on a monthly basis.

A rut is a period of heat, wherein hormones & instinct usurp the reasoning & logical parts of the mind. In effect, it reduces the patient to a soul of lust. In Alpha’s, rut is mediocre, having no noticeable effects outside of an increased libido, the only exception being with Active Alpha’s who might experience a rut every two months & act like an omega during this period. In Beta’s, a rut is nigh unperceivable, affecting them no more than a slight fever. In Omega’s, a rut is the strongest. It reduces them to the simplest state of mind, driving their body to be “rutted”, to be used by their mate in any way the mate sees fit. This shows itself in their incredibly high libido, which causes them to crave sexual contact. The body develops a fever, erections are unavoidable on hourly basis for males & females experience hourly spasms in their loins. A need for contact & relief will cause the patient to masturbate whenever possible, as it brings some relief from the need. A rut can only be satisfied by an Alpha who “knots” the Omega, whereby the rut is triggered to end in a matter of hours.

Once the beta-mechanics are triggered, by realisation of their love & other triggers yet unknown, most senses are increased. Scent is the first to increase, as body odour in highly important between mates. Sight can become blurred when a “session” occurs, as tunnel vision occurs & the mates will have eye purely for each other. Hearing is the least affected, while touch is heightened to such height that a brush can make an Omega nearly orgasm when they are in the heat of a rut.

Two partners can come together in union & cause only one to develop ruts if the true love is one-sided. This can be extremely uncomfortable as the other partner may not remain connected with the now rutting partner.

Mal skipped several pages as she settled on her notes about Marking & continued on…

Markings or “Bites” are indeed bites, made by Alpha’s during their first “session” to claim their mate & proclaim ownership over their body. Most marks fade so soft scars, but they never really go away. Even after many years, a Mark can become visible again when a mate is aroused by an Alpha. How this happens, is yet unknown. Marks also initiate certain scent glands to develop, which somehow copy the scent of the Marks owner & mix it under the scent of the one bearing the Mark. The scent glands are located in the neck, pits & loins.

At this Carlos grinned, already enjoying the thought of being able to smell Jay anytime whenever he was alone. He listened to Mal explaining a few other things, before Jay finally stepped out from the bathroom. His long hair lay flat & wet against his shoulders, as he wiped his back with a towel without shame. Evie & Mal ignored the teen, used to his unashamed behaviour around them, as Carlos forced himself not to inspect Jay from the corner of his eye. Mal finished up the notes, asking of Carlos had any questions. “Yeah,” he began stutteringly, “is it normal that there’s this constant nagging in the back of your head to be, well… used – by your “mate”?” He swallowed at the word, a bit ashamed of saying it in front of Evie & Mal, as Jay listened intently. Mal nodded, “It’s normal, it’s your instincts. Most people experience their subconscious instinct as a soft voicing of precautionary thoughts on the back of their mind.” She smiled at Carlos as she went on. “Why? Is it screaming to you that you should be fucked by Jay right now?” Carlos turned red, straightening up at Mal’s words as Jay grinned in response & laughed. “N-No…” Mal watched Carlos as he stuttered the reply, a smirk raising her brows. “Sure, C. Whatever.” She stood up & tugged Evie along. “Let’s go, E. I think we’ve heard enough & shouldn’t disturb these lovebirds any longer.” Evie giggled as she walked with Mal to the door. Walking through it, Mal turned around & faced Carlos again. “By the way, C., that rut-thing? You might want to stock up on oestrogen-pills or some time in the next weeks or month is going to be very unpleasant.” She smiled a brief smile & quickly walked away as Jay closed the door behind her. He looked at Carlos & asked what she meant. Carlos recited the rut-behaviour of omegas & Jay looked puzzled. “How are you sure you’re an omega & not a beta?” Carlos shuffled on his feet, eyes staring down as he answered Jay. “Well… Because I think my rut started this week, shortly after we did the apple-thing.” He grinned meekly at Jay, who suddenly understood the boy’s behaviour of the last days perfectly. Carlos had been more heated in his acting than usual &, if his behaviour today showed anything, when his rut would reach its height, Jay wasn’t sure he would be able to really satisfy the boy’s lust-driven libido. But, then again, he overheard the “knotting”-part & he was fairly sure that, whatever it was, he hadn’t done that yet. He asked Carlos what knotting meant & was surprised when the boy didn’t want to answer. “Really, huh?” Jay thought with a smirk as he tackled Carlos & started tickling the pale teen. Carlos tried to shove him off, but utterly lost the moment Jay’s fingers made contact with the bare skin on his sides. Unable to win, Carlos gave in. “I’ll tell! I’ll tell!” He screamed between laughter & panted as Jay let him go. “It’s – well, it’s what happens between dogs when they have, you know – when they fuck?” Carlos tried explaining, but saw Jay didn’t really understand what he was hinting at. He went a bit more in detail & saw Jay’s face redden in awkward realisation. “Oh…” Jay couldn’t say more, as he suddenly clicked the pieces into place in his mind. “I wondered what that was about sometimes?” Jay said shyly. Carlos looked surprised as he asked what Jay meant. Jay felt a bit uncomfortable telling Carlos, but thought that, seeing how the boy was his mate now, he might just as well him. “Well, sometimes my erection becomes – I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like it becomes bulged? Oh god, this is weird…” Carlos realized what Jay meant to say & just stood staring at him, face red as a beet. Even his freckles had been lost in the colour of it.

Jay looks away, ashamed of his confession as Carlos is imaging all the possibilities & consequences of the fact that Jay has a, well, a knot. “Sooo…” Carlos slowly begins, “since when?” Jay groans & lets himself fall back unto his bed, hands covering his face in shame as Carlos sits down on his own bed. Jay looks at Carlos through his fingers, seeing the curious look on the small boy. He groaned again, knowing Carlos would pester him with the question until he relents. “When I was 13. It happened when I was masturbating. It just suddenly formed & stayed for half an hour or so before it went away. It has only happened twice again since then.” Jay looked up, staring at the ceiling. At the time, he hadn’t noticed how strange it was. Only when he had his first hook-up with a guy, even though they didn’t do anything sexual beyond jerking off together, did he realize it might not be as normal as he thought… Carlos was staring off into nothing, as he imagined how it could look. Jay suddenly jerked upright, startling Carlos nearly off his bed. The boy stumbled backwards as he shot his knees towards his chest in reflex. Jay couldn’t help but laughing at it, as Dude came drowsily out from underneath Carlos’ bed after the thump woke him, & the dog started licking Carlos’ face lazily. Carlos pushed Dude softly away, giggling at the kisses the dog gave him. “Stop it, Dude. Go back to sleep, silly dog.” Dude headed Carlos’ word, turned around, jumped unto his bed & cuddled himself to sleep on Carlos’ pillow. Jay felt Carlos’ stare on the back of his neck as he walked to get a drink from the freezer. “No, Carlos, I’m not just gonna show you. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” Carlos let out a deflated sigh of disappointment at this. After an hour of light bickering & Carlos trying to convince Jay, Jay snapped that if Carlos didn’t stop, he would go sleep with the girls. Eventually they went to sleep in vain anger, each feeling hurt as they slowly drifted off to sleep, into angst-filled dreams...

Several days later, their anger long subsided in their usual playfulness the morning after the fight, the boys were walking through the school when Jay noticed Carlos making notes whenever they passed certain people. “C, what are you doing?” Carlos kept writing as he answered, narrowly dodging a girl who was hurrying by. “I’m writing down the names of people I sense are Alpha’s. I want to know exactly who to avoid if my rut reaches its height, you know. Don’t wanna end up making you feel jealous.” Jay grinned as they kept walking, passing by a few people who took attention of Carlos for some reason as they walked by. “It’s getting worse, right? People are sensing you, I see.” Carlos sighed as he put away his notes, affirming Jay’s suspicion. “Yeah. This morning it took me almost ten minutes of cold shower to get red of my erection & low fever. I have taken my pill today, but I can feel that tomorrow I’ll have to take two instead. I keep smelling the people who are alpha’s as they pass by & it’s heating me up again.” Jay laughed at this as he shoved Carlos to the wall when he saw no one around. He placed his hands against the wall on each side of the boy, as he leaned down. “And this? Does this heat you up?” Carlos swallowed, groaning lowly as he felt his blood rise by Jay’s behaviour. True, Jay’s presence usually warmed him up but today it had the effect of cooling him down, as if the presence of his mate dulled the scents of other alphas. But this, now this made his instincts raise their drowsy heads & moan loudly into the back of his mind. “Jay, not here! Please…” He begged as he felt the usual blur of lust creeping in on the edges of his vision, while his blood was rushing to his loin. Jay straightened up, controlling his own instincts almost with ease as he pulled Carlos with him. “Let’s just go to class, C. Might as well get you distracted. I don’t want you in full-blown rut when I can’t get it away.” Carlos blushed as they entered their next class, the bell ringing after they had seated themselves. Lessons were hard that day, as Carlos felt his feverish lust grow stronger with each passing minute. The lessons just after lunch proved too much, as he suddenly whined when Jay touched him. The sound had made the teacher look in concern at the boys, asking Carlos what was wrong. Carlos couldn’t answer, couldn’t even think straight to be embarrassed at the question so Jay had piped in & told the teacher how Carlos just had gotten a very bad bruise during Tourney practice. Believing the subtle lie, the teacher let it go as Jay slowly turned to Carlos. “Is it becoming too much?” Carlos nodded, unable to speak, feeling as if opening his mouth would be tantamount to letting a moan escape. Jay kept Carlos distracted through the lesson, making the boy recite the table of elements over & over again, until bell rang. At this, they quickly exited before any other students, as they hastily made their way to their dorm. Ordering Carlos to take a long cold shower, Jay hurried to get the girls. Carlos listened, as he slowly undressed his jacket. It had taken him somewhat by surprise, no doubt, but he thought he had taken all the right precautions. He let fall his shirt & stepped out from his pants, as he entered the bathroom in his paw-print boxers. He turned on the shower to a medium-cold setting, took another pill & let his boxer slide from his hips. He looked in the mirror & saw that Jay’s Mark was lividly red, looking almost as it had been newly made. Then he realized his mistake. He had been keeping close to Jay ever since his rut had begun, knowing how the boy would help him but also relying on Jay’s scent to keep him calm & recollected. Now he knew that Jay’s scent had actually been helping his rut along. After all, why wouldn’t the scent of your mate hurry your body to go into a heat-cycle? It happened in dogs & many species actually tuned their cycles to the presence of mates. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Carlos admonished himself as he stepped underneath the brisk water coming from the shower. 

He had been sporting a hard erection for the last hour & was relieved when it began to go down as the water hit his back. “I don’t know how Nature ever thought this was a good idea? It’s torture.” Carlos thought as he heard the dorm-room open & close shut as a busy chattering of voices entered the room. It sounded like they were bickering. A knock sounded on the door as Jay slowly stepped in to check in on Carlos. “Are you okay, C? Mal told me she thinks she knows why your rut escalated to suddenly.” Carlos grinned as he answered, “I’m fine, Jay. Be there in a few minutes.” After a few more minutes under the shower, Carlos felt as if he had finally cooled down & quickly dried up before stepping from the bathroom. Mal & Evie were seated at the table with Jay, as they looked at Carlos stepping out. Mal smiled as Evie asked how Carlos felt. “Better now, but the last hour was absolute hell. I couldn’t think about anything else but Jay…” He sat himself down on his bed, intending to keep a safe distance from Jay & enjoy the softness of the matrass. Those hard chairs had made his butt fall asleep & when he had moved in the class, the sensation had flowed over his asshole which had every time throbbed in dull longing & aching as a response. He knew his body wanted to be dominated again, but now was honestly the worst possible time. Mal continued talking to Jay. “So, yeah, I think it’s probably your scent that escalated it. I noticed the same thing with Ben when he had his first rut. If he was closer than two feet for a long period, he couldn’t think about anything else but me. In your case, I guess it just accelerates the speed with which a rut develops & reaches its climax. The thing is, however, that we don’t know how bad Carlos’ ruts will be, as this is his first. For all we could know, this might be the worst but it might just as well be a simple prelude to what Carlos would call “insufferable hell without Jay’s cock in me”.” Jay laughed loudly as Carlos threw his hands around his reddening face in response. “Gods, why do you embarrass me so, M?” He sighed aloud. Mal continued, ignoring Carlos’ groan at her going on. “I guess there’s nothing you can do but take the pills, take cold showers if your fever goes up & keep away from Jay when not needed.” Both boys groaned at this, as Mal went on. “Or… Jay should just fuck Carlos already & get this rut over with.” Evie spluttered her drink as Mal said the sentence, while Jay softly hissed a happy “Yes!” & Carlos groaned a suppressed “Not again…”. She stood up & took Evie with her, who was still wiping her face. Before closing the door behind her, Mal turned to Carlos. “It’s do or die, Carlos. Either you take your pills & showers, preparing for at least another week of rut. Or you let Jay knot you, climax & start the end of your rut. Your choice.” Both boys looked ad each other as the door closed. “So… Now what?” Carlos whined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here I have laid out the rules of how these beta-mechanics work in my AU. Very similar to the regular Omega!verse rules, but with a few tweaks. Also, Carlos taking note of other Alpha's & sharing their names with Jay so he can never be surprised by a lust-driven Alpha during a rut? Clever, no? ;)
> 
> 1A. You have Alphas, Betas & Omegas.  
> 1B. In each type, there are Actives (exaggerated examples) & Passives (less-obvious examples).  
> 2\. Ruts as Heat-cycles are exclusive to Omegas & passive!Alphas.  
> 3\. Ruts end when the mate is knotted.  
> 4\. Ruts are increased by the passive presence of the mate.  
> 5\. Ruts last between 4 to 14 days, depending on its height & the mate.


	7. Frustration & Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Carlos' rut picks up speed & begins to plague the boy with pain, short attention & fevers, he has several options to pick from. But which shall he choose?

Next day was even worse than the previous, believe it or not. Carlos had woken up with a lust-fever even worse than the worst of the days before, making him groan & whimper the entire time untill he finally had gotten under the shower. He had taken a long cold shower, but even that & the two pills he took, didn’t prevent him from being tortured by dull aches by the time the third lesson of the day had begun. When lunch-break had finally arrived, he had hurried to his dorm-room as pain racked his shaking form. He had jumped straight into the shower, clothes still on & was shivering beneath the cold water when Jay had entered, extremely worried when he had seen Carlos run off to the room. He had seen Carlos hurry away after lessons & followed him, expecting something like this. “Is it that bad, C?” Carlos nodded at Jay from under the shower as the tall boy seated himself on the sink. “We should go see the school-nurse, C. Figure something out to help you get through this. I know it isn’t fun to talk about with anyone but us four, but we have to do something, okay?” Carlos whined, somehow disappointed in Jay’s refusal to knot him. He knew it wasn’t necessary per se, but he also knew he wouldn’t care to just run out these ruts. He was curious to how it’d feel, but mainly he just wanted to be fucked. The aching pain, he could deal with but the constant nagging in his head of those voices that screamed “Must be bred. Must be bred. Must be bred…” was driving him insane. He had barely been able to focus during lessons & had at certain moments even zoned out, forgetting everything but the endless droning of the voice of lust. He eventually, reluctantly, agreed with Jay & went with him to the school-nurse, after having dressed in light clothes & taken a few more pills to dull the aching pains. 

Nurse Janett had been taking care of some students who got hurt in a fight when the two boys walked into her office, the taller one cradling the smallest one by the shoulders as they seated themselves before her. She had seen them a few times before & knew immediately what they were here for. “Finally decided to take care of your rut, Mr. de Vil?” She had said it blatantly, knowing how certain things only get more embarrassing if you beat around the bush, especially with things that are to be countered as soon as possible. Carlos nodded ashamedly, as Jay shuffled awkwardly to the side. “Oh no, Jay, no escaping it for you either. You two are in for a good talk. Sit.” She pointed the boys rise & to be seated at her bureau, as she closed the door to her infirmary & sat down behind the bureau. “Now, let’s get straight to the point, boys. Firstly, Jay, I’m disappointed in you. You might not have realized what you were doing, but some part of you knew full well what you were doing. Marking Carlos at such a young age? It’s just plain irresponsible. People much older than him have trouble with their ruts, let alone teens as young as him.” Jay was redder with shame than Carlos had ever seen him. He wondered if Jay had indeed known even a little what he was doing when he Marked him. Carlos, however, couldn’t think about it for long before miss Janett turned her attention towards him. “Now you, Carlos, how are you doing? Are you having pain? Cramps? Short attention-span?” Carlos explained how the dull aches were increasing & how he had zoned out a few times, but was less than relieved when miss Janett assured him it was going to be worse still. “The dull achings are just the beginning, Carlos. I expect in a few days you’ll be hardly able to stand up without help. You’re experiencing a rut that is stronger than most, possible because it is your first & you’re still so young. Your hormones are already raging due to puberty & that will only worsen your ruts. Now, you have several options.” She rummaged in her desk-drawer & pulled out a few bottles with differently coloured pills. “You can keep taking oestrogen-pills, as I’m aware you already are doing. They’ll lessen the effects of the rut, but will not stop it. You can take testosterone-pills, which will speed up the rut, but will also make it so much more intense. You can opt for delirium-pill, which will act as a hormonal anaesthetic. You’ll be unable to feel any real emotions during the rut, but the pains & hormonal effects will also be absent. Or…” And at this she turned to Jay, “You can let your alpha knot you.” Jay turned red again, being addressed by miss Janett as an alpha.

Miss Janett had noticed long ago that Jay was an alpha. Having been raised by Jane Porter & Tarzan, king of the Jungle, she had always been much around animals & knew how hierarchies worked. She, herself being an active beta, had a knack of sensing who were who & what. Jay’s alpha-status had been apparent the moment she saw him & even then had she seen that Carlos could’ve been the only mate to Jay. Like how Alice could have been her only mate. She had expected the boys to link sooner than later, therefor she had not been surprised when she sensed Carlos’ Mark a few days ago. She had been prepared for this entire conversation. Linking’s, Markings & ruts were not too rare an occurrence in high schools where many people experienced their first “True-Love’s”, but a linking or Marking of one as young as Carlos was a rarity, luckily for them & her. Nobody exactly knew what could happened with young people experiencing ruts, not even Janett who had become somewhat of the only expert on the subject due to her upbringing in the jungles. 

She looked at the boys before her, seeing how red they both had become. She sighed & rubbed the bridge of her nose, going on as the boys remained looking awkwardly at her. “Look. Ruts are a pain in the ass, I know. Takes one to know one, if you get my meaning. But they’re a natural effect of finding True Love & being Marked. You boys should realize that & be lucky that in Carlos’ case, it can be ended as soon as it can be. Not many alpha’s stick with their first mates, seeing how in 90% of the cases I have seen, Marks were accidents & unintended. I can see you care immensely for Carlos, Jay, I can smell it – yes, I can,” she said as the boys straightened up surprised by her comment. “I might be just a beta, boys, but I have one hell of a nose. I could tell you what you ate three days ago if you hadn’t brushed your teeth yesterday evening.” She smirked, how she liked to tease people with her gift of scent, another effect of her upbringing around jungle animals. She could smell when alpha’s were in rut, when omega’s were going to rut & when beta’s had become receptive to a rut. It had helped her many times in her twelve years at Auradon prep, anticipating students coming to her with embarrassing questions or requests. She looked at Jay. “Look, I know a subject like this can be immensely awkward, but I urge you both to consider the options. Carlos, you can either endure the rut, with or without medication, or start the end of it. The choice is yours, both of yours. Now take these,” she handed Carlos three bottles of pills, “and get to your dorm. I’ll write you both a sick-slip for the next two days so you can decide what to do & rest out how the rut develops. Now, off you go.” She ushered the boys out & closed the door, leaving Carlos & Jay standing on the threshold with red faces. One of the part-time nurses saw them exit & laughed at their stances. “Had a birds-and-bees, huh? Hehehe. Miss Janett sure knows how to embarrass teens.” The nurse grinned as she went on with cleaning the waiting room, as the boys quickly slid out & hurried to their dorm.

Jay looked at the bottles standing on the table before him, as he rested his head on his hands, slumped on the tabletop. Carlos had been pacing the room for the past twenty minutes, feeling heated & trying to decide what to do. Jay had become a bit bored & quickly knew Carlos wanted to decide this on his own. After another dozen or so paces of twirling about in doubt, Carlos turned to Jay. He hesitated, putting out an arm for the bottle of oestrogen pills before he stopped. He stood undecided, shooting glances at each bottle & unsure which to pick. Jay looked on it with boredom & after another ten minutes had more than enough of it. “Good lord, babe, enough of this!” He shot straight up, making Carlos jump back to his bed. Jay strode over to Carlos & gently threw the boy on his bed, pinning him down with his weight, placing his hands of either side of the boy’s body. He lowered down, lying on Carlos know & grinded his pelvis against Carlos’. This teased out a loud moan from the freckled boy & Jay decided it was as good a way of Carlos saying yes as any could be at the moment. Carlos threw his arms about Jay, legs locking behind the tall teen as he grinded his pelvis down a few more times.  
Carlos had dreaded to ask Jay again if he wanted to knot him now, even as he had felt how the aches were now becoming a throbbing pain in his groin & stomach. He had trouble keeping still, wishing to distract from the feeling as he tried to decide what to do. He considered taking the testosterone-pills, just to get through the rut quickly. He desperately wanted to take the oestrogen-pills, but knew how those would only prolong the lessened rut, which was just as bad as taking no pills at all. He didn’t feel anything for the delirium-pills, not wishing to turn into a zombie, even if it made the rut bearable. He had wavered his hand about the bottles for several minutes, unable to decide when Jay acted. He hadn’t thought the muscled boy would react at all & was more than surprised when he had pinned Carlos down & grinded their pelvises together. “Lords,” Carlos thought as he felt Jay’s growing erection grind against his own, which he had been sporting for a few hours now, ever since they left the nurses office. “This feels so good!” The friction shot intense shudders through Carlos, as the pleasuring grinding drove his lust full on to the foreground of his thinking. He wanted Jay deep inside of him & he wanted it now. He started hastily pulling of his clothes & Jay did the same. Soon their bare chests touched, as Jay’s erection was rubbing against Carlos’. Jay lay between Carlos’ thighs, pushing them apart as he pushed down upon the boy, his cock caressing the smaller cock of the pale teen below him. Carlos could smell how their scents were mingling again, as clothing no longer covered both of their new scent glands which were pumping out their scents in a hurried tempo. A strong musk was filling the air & its scent drove Carlos crazy, as it filled his every fibre with anticipation & eagerness for what was to happen next. 

Jay kept on grinding, not wishing to lower the friction between their hips as he moaned & shared breaths with Carlos. He was enjoying this as much as the pale boy was, perhaps even more. The truth was, he had wanted to knot the boy for a while now, but again didn’t wish to harm the small teen. But this entire situation had ben dragging on & he decided it couldn’t go on like this for any longer. He had woken up this morning from Carlos’ whining & moaning in his sleep, realizing the boy was squirming in either pain, lust, or a nightmare, or a combination of any of those. But when the boy had begun to grind his soft matrass, Jay had had his answer. He didn’t know if he could take suck scenes every morning, because it would damn well be impossible not to act on them if they continued. The entire scene had caused him to silently jerk off underneath his blankets as Carlos had continued to grind his matrass in his fitfull sleep. And so here he was now, lying naked on top of Carlos, grinding his hips with those of Carlos, rubbing their warm bodies together while trailing kisses about the Mark on Carlos’ neck & rubbing his fingers through the small boys crack, his hand between Carlos’ ass & the matrass. Carlos had woven his legs behind Jay’s thighs & was holding on to Jay’s back with all his might, his nails digging into the dark skin of Jay’s back. “Fuck,” Jay thought as Carlos moaned loudly again, “why does he have to be so good?” When Jay pulled up & separated their bodies, Carlos whined in disappointment but was quickly happy again when he saw Jay’s erection. At the base of Jay’s think & long cock, a pair of glands had swollen to almost twice the usual circumference of Jay’s dick. “Well, “Jay stammered with a red face as he saw Carlos take notice, “you wanted to take my knot, didn’t you?” Carlos just whined, as his instincts were shouting how that deliciously thick knot should be inside of him, not there on the outside & away from his eager asshole. He wanted to feel it, deep within him, be pinned down on it, unable to get it out until they were both spent. Jay rubbed his fingers through Carlos’ crack again, surprised to find it wet. He flipped the small boy on his stomach & began to circle the boy’s tight hole. It had become very wet indeed, probably lubricated by his own glands as Jay guessed, after remebering a few things Mal had explained to him after their first talk a few days ago. “Well, at least that makes my job easier.” Jay thought as he lubricated his fingers with the slick, which was becoming abundant & came slowly dripping from the boy’s tight ass. He pushed his index finger against the hole, slowly entering Carlos who whined with pleasure. His body began to react now, preparing to be bred & anticipating to be filled with Jay’s delicious knot. Carlos began to pant heavily, eager to be penetrated, pushing his ass up against Jay’s finger as he whined loudly. “Please, daddy. Just fuck me already!” Carlos moaned as he gripped the sheets with his free hand, his other hand wrapped around his own cock, eager for some much needed release as Jay kept pushing his finger. Jay pleased the boy, a second finger penetrating the boy’s cunt. Again it went easily in, as a bit more slick dripped out when he slowly pulled both fingers back. A third followed soon & as lust began to overcome Jay as well, he decided Carlos was more than ready. Fingers pulled out, he placed his cock against the eager cunt of the freckled teen below him. He placed his hands on Carlos’ hips & held on tight to the boy, not wishing him to pull back when he was to penetrate him. Jay thrusted his whole cock in, it all vanishing in the tight cunt in a smooth flow. Carlos whined, almost hurt but mostly surprised as he was deeply penetrated in a matter of seconds. But the slick did its job & Jay had gone in as smoothly as possible. Stopping at the base of his knot, Jay slowly tried pushing it in but decided that this was still too much for the boy. Slowly thrusting in & out, he began to pump Carlos’ cunt in eager rhythm, his nails digging into the boy’s delicate skin as he held him pinned to his cock. Carlos did nothing but moan, enjoying the feeling of finally being fucked by Jay again. He could feel his enormous lust triumph as he gripped the sheets below him, which were beginning to be wetted by the steady drops of slick falling down from Carlos’ ass as he was leaking precum on the other side. He couldn’t care less, as he felt Jay’s hand take him by the hair & pull his head back. Gods, how he loved this. He had never dared to hope sex could be so good, feel so right & fullfilling. 

Suddenly he felt something pop behind him & when Jay’s thrusts were less deep, he realized his knot had finally gone in. Jay’s thick knot was in him, filling him perfectly! And now Carlos began to feel a pleasure he hadn’t known before. This feeling of being full was flowing through his body as he began to shudder in pleasure. He felt as if could come at any moment know, as it went on. He realized he was in orgasm, from the moment Jay’s knot slipped in & hijacked his prostate. His arms weak, Carlos fell face down upon the bed as Jay continued on thrusting deeply inside of him. Jay was feeling exuberant, his own pleasure higher than he had ever known it yet feeling as if it didn’t matter. He could feel Carlos shudder beneath him, his asshole throbbing about the base of Jay’s dick, massaging his knot & trying to milk him. Jay hadn’t come yet, but felt that if he really wanted, he could come any moment & fill Carlos with his seed, depositing it deep within the small boy. He kept on fucking the boy, holding on to the boy’s hips & pulling him ever closer unto his dick. He wanted to be as deep as possible in the teen when he would finally come. If he was to end his rut, he was going to end it spectacularly. Carlos felt the slick now almost flowing between his thighs, as it slid down Jay’s thighs as well. Precum leaking from his cock, Carlos had been climaxing for almost a minute & the feeling still wasn’t going down. He wondered how much longer this could possibly last as he saw his vision blur. Suddenly he felt Jay shudder as well, as a deep roar escaped the muscled teen who had been fucking him like there was no tomorrow. Jay was about to climax, as Carlos’ tight ass continued throbbing around the base of his cock. Jay fell upon Carlos’ back, hugging the small teen as he panted. He roared again as he finally climaxed, his cum flowing deep within Carlos who could feel it being deposited. Jay too was surprised to find his own orgasm to last much longer than thought possible. After nearly a minute of his dick keeping on throbbing, it finally lessened as he fell down upon the small teen. He had been utterly spent, completely different to before on their date. His knot still swollen, he knew he couldn’t exit Carlos who was still climaxing. Carlos was actually close to fainting as the pleasure just kept on coming. He knew he couldn’t keep up with this & tried to tell Jay, but fainted before he had the chance. Jay noticed how the boy went limp, as if fallen asleep. Laying them both in a comfortable position, Jay put Carlos on his side as he was till stuck inside of him. Jay noticed how the boy was still hard, even though a large wet spot of precum lay underneath them. Feeling utterly spent, Jay pulled the covers about them, as he too felt asleep. 

Carlos was first to wake up, still feeling Jay’s knot in him, though less swollen now. He lay still, enjoying the feeling of Jay’s arm about him, his chest against his back & the swollen knot still inside. He felt his fever had gone down & the aches had been lessened. Sighing of happy relief, he fell back asleep in Jay’s embrace. When evening broke, they both awakened. Jay’s knot had finally gone down & a large spot of slick covered Jay’s groin & Carlos’ butt. Jay smirked as Carlos had realized it. “Stop sliming me, you slug.” Jay nagged jokingly as they had gotten up & went to shower. Carlos hadn’t really realized he had been producing this fluid when they had rutted, but now that he knew, he wasn’t really that surprised at it. Their shower together was hot, messy & just perfect. Cleaning each other thoroughly & washing Jay’s hair, carefully treating it as if made from gold, Carlos left the shower feeling better than he had in a long time. Teasing each other, they got dressed & went out for a quick bite in the cafeteria. Eating their snacks at a secluded spot, Jay kept asking Carlos about whom he knew to be alphas. Carlos kept pointing out people as they passed through the cafetaria on their own routines & schedules. “Well, that guy either is an alpha or a very smelly beta. But that girl, if she isn’t an alpha, I’m a dog. The boy there might be one, but his smell is very faint…” Jay kept taking mental notes as Carlos went on. When Mal turned up in the cafeteria, Carlos grinned. “And that would be the queen-alpha, if ever there was such a thing.” Jay laughed at this, causing Mal to find the pair secluded in their corner. She saw Jay’s wet hair, Carlos’ faded mark & smelled their scent soon enough. “So you finally did it, huh? Took you long enough.” She glared at Jay, “I thought for sure he would have needed to be screaming in pain before you’d do it. Smart move, J. You might not be an idiot still.” Jay stared at his feet in shame, as Carlos giggled at Jay’s embarrassment. He spoke up, trying to distract Mal from jay. “Mal, did you know the nurse knows about ruts?” Mal looked up, thinking for a while before replying. “I guess it makes sense for nurses to know about ruts. But how you say it, I suppose she would know more than she led on?” Carlos nodded, causing Mal to grin broadly as she turned back. “I’m going to have a long talk with the school-nurse, boys. Don’t beat anyone up till I’m back.”

Miss Janett scowled at the purple-haired teenage girl seated behind her. “Honey, I am the daughter of Jane Portner & Tarzan, King & Queen of the Jungle. I have been around hundreds of species of animals for whole my life till college, have a passive alpha as mate, have been Marked for twenty years & have studied beta-mechanics without knowing what it was. If I hadn’t learned to realize the signs of ruts, heat-cycles & character-types by now, I’d be a very poor student indeed.” Mal leered at the brunette nurse, who was busy bonding a bandage around the arm of an unconscious boy in a bed. Miss Janett turned to Mal when done & continued on, “You’re an active alpha, and you have complete control over your mate, probably Marked him instead of vice versa & know how to influence beta’s flawlessly. Correct?” Mal was somehow pleasantly surprised at this, as miss Janett had been spot on. She had indeed Marked Ben as hers instead of he her as his. Considering her background, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise at all. It is only to be expected, really. She was… impressed. “Now, Mal, would you mind leaving? Only injured people should be in the infirmary. And if you see Carlos, can you give me an update?” Mal grinned as she replied. “Oh, C is all okay now. They rutted less than 6 hours ago.” Miss Janett roared with laughter. “I had expected so. You should have seen their faces when I gave the talk. They just needed a push in the right direction, or else they’d have never gotten to decide what to do.” Mal already liked the brunette nurse much more. “Nasty! I like that.” Mal said as miss Janett ushered her out. “I’m sure you do, Mal. Now, hop on & tell Carlos his rut will still go on for a few days, even though it will be less extreme now.” Mal lazily wandered off as miss Janett went back to bandaging Chad Charming in his sickbed. “Whoever beat you up, Mr. Charming, you must have made them really angry… idiot boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I introduce to you Janett Portner, daughter to Jane Portner & Tarzan. Having spent her youth in the jungles with Tarzan & being educated by her mother untill she left to Auradon for college, nurse Janett is perhaps the only real expert on ruts & beta-mechanics in the whole Fairytale-world. And she can predict anything rut-related so accurately, it's almost magic!
> 
> Edit; Added a few extra lines of dialogue & changed several overlooked mistakes. Word-count upped to 4200.


	8. Routines & Interruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get used to Carlos' montly ruts, while Ben & Mal busy themselves with solidifying Ben's own power within his new kingdoms & finding out about hidden artifacts. Until news from the Isle disturbs their quiet routine & threatens to turn Auradon's peace upside-down...

Early on the next day, the boys were called upon by Fairy Godmother’s assistant to join the headmistress in her office, as they exited their last classroom together. When they arrived, Fairy Godmother was already sitting at her desk, surrounded by hideously pastel-coloured nick-nacks & mementos of a life long-lived & well travelled. She bade them seated & started speaking as soon as they were. “Mr. de Vil, Jay, congratulations with your Bonding. Let that be the first thing I say, as it’s a joyous occasion if it were to last of course. Now, here’s the second thing, which shall be less festive a subject. We are to discus several regulations concerning your new statuses as an alpha & omega, to ensure a happy school going remainder of the year. This is mainly to prevent Carlos’ ruts, which will probably become a monthly occurrence, from disturbing his curriculum & might prevent him from taking the acquired lessons. But also to prevent any problems between you two & the other pupils of this school, who might react strangely or possessively towards Carlos as he is now an omega.” She turned to Jay, who had become very self-aware of how scruffy he was looking. Though she still didn’t intimidate him, he had developed a certain appreciation for her willingness to help them with any problems during their rehabilitation & respect towards her composure & calm during the Coronation-event. “It is very important to realize that your status as an Alpha will bring its fair share of problems as well, Jay. For one, other established Alphas might become begrudged towards you when their mates have entered rut, just as you might become towards them when Carlos shall enter his. It is always important to put personal feelings aside, imagine the other person’s situation & prevent any conflicts from erupting. After all, even though this behaviour is purely instinctual, it is important to remember that we are not purely creatures of instinct, but also reasoning & logic.” Jay nodded at her, realizing how bad it could be for them if Jay gets Carlos in trouble because he was unable to stay cool. He nearly got suspended for knocking Chad, even though no one had yet realized that Chad’s current predicament was also his doing, as the blonde snobbish prince was recovering from major bruises & a sprained wrist in the infirmary. He had been careful not to do any permanent damage, but Jay hadn’t been able to stop himself when he had heard Chad insult Carlos again after they had walked of. “Alternatively, Jay, you might become extremely aware of other omegas who have entered their ruts. There may be an urge to woo them, but there also may not be. It is important for you two to remain honest when such situations arise, as keeping these things secret might make them even worse & result in bickering or even in-fighting between you two.” She concluded, turning to Carlos next, sliding a cup of tea forward to him. “Here, dear, drink something. No reason to be nervous.” Carlos smiled shyly, accepting the tea & sipping it. The taste pleasantly surprised him, reminding somewhat of citrus & mint. Fairy Godmother began as Carlos sipped the tea again. “Mr. de Vil, your ruts will become a problem if you do not anticipate them in time. I know how seducing it is to take the easy way out every time you have them, but we can hardly have you & Jay become intimate if the rut were to begin during a lesson. I’m, of course, by no way implying that you both can’t behave yourselves & patiently wait out a more appropriate time, but you wouldn’t be the first ones to suddenly decide the rut has become too intense to ignore. Believe me when I say we have had our fair share of impatient students who embarrassed themselves & their classes with a extremely primal & indecent display of intimate affection.” She pulled out a slender notebook from her desk-drawer & slid it towards Carlos. “It is best, Mr. de Vil, that you write down the dates when your ruts start, reach their climax & finally end. To do this, you need, of course, to run out at least 6 ruts, even though this is not needed per se. This is to the end of establishing a written record of your cycle so you can start to anticipate any ruts afterwards. This you can then do by way of starting your pills at least a week beforehand, lessening both the intensity & duration of the rut.”

Carlos had felt a rush of shame creep up, even though he had become a bit more used to discussing this matter with anyone. But seeing how Fairy Godmother had already planned ahead for him, even though it was simply because of years of experience dealing with students, he had become the centre of attention, which he hardly ever wanted. He hated being a focal point for anything but Jay’s affections. Sipping some more tea to relax, he listened on to Fairy Godmother’s talk. “Now, there may be a time when a rut comes early. This can always happen, as hormonal cycles are by no means clockwork. In such a case, it is of course permitted to take a leave of absence, both for you & Jay. This has to be approved by nurse Janett however, seeing how she is the only person in this school capable of recognizing fevers from ruts before the rut has kick-started completely. This permit shall give each of you one whole day off, giving you more than enough time to do the do.” Jay had groaned, ashamedly looking away as Carlos’ face reddened in a second to the colour of a beet. He whined internally, ashamed of hearing Fairy Godmother discus this part of rutting with them. Of course, he knew she knew plenty of sex, otherwise, how could she have had a daughter. But it’s one thing knowing & another thing discussing it. She had simply ignored their awkward shame & plainly went on with her usual smile plastered on her face. “Know however that this permit does not allow you to go outside of the school. It shall confine you to your rooms & the school itself. This permit is a privilege, not a right. Abuse it & you shall have to suffer the consequences.”

“Now, the last thing I have to share with you two is this. Jay, you being an alpha shall make you extremely possessive & protective of Carlos, especially since you Marked him – an act that I still condone due to Carlos’ age. Keep in mind at all times that Carlos still has his own bodily autonomy & must give consent with any sexual acts you wish to perform. Simply because he is in rut or might be receptive to your pheromones does not give you permission to do the do with him because you feel it’s your right to be allowed to do so. Sex without consent, no matter between whom or how, is not sex, but rape. The same counts for you, Carlos. We cannot ignore the natural instincts we have been granted by our biology, but this does not mean we are simple-minded beasts without will or power to resist these urges. Is this clearly understood by you two?” Both boys nodded, understanding her perfectly. Jay couldn’t even imagine hurting Carlos in such a way, as Carlos couldn’t begin to imagine how he could ever even manage to do such a thing to the taller boy sitting next to him. Fairy Godmother, assured by their silence & soft nodding, had stood up with a smile & then walked them out of her office, handing Carlos the notebook & a small bag of tealeaves as he left. Carlos was secretly happy about the tea, as he had actually enjoyed the tea much more than he had expected. As they walked to their dorm, Carlos was silent as Jay muttered under his breath. “Can’t believe she thinks I’d hurt him? Who does she think she is…”

Three months later, Carlos was glad to have found out his rut was generally quite precise in comparison to many others he had checked his own cycle against. Always four weeks, to the dot, between the end of the first rut & the beginning of the new one. Jay had become used to this schedule as well, making sure Carlos had enough time alone during his ruts to prevent his pheromones from making the experience worse than it could be. Jay had found a way to do this by increasing his Tourney-practice while Carlos would hone his chemistry-skills in those periods. Of course they still played Tourney together, but they took care to limit their time together in the game to being on the field & in the showers. They practiced separately during Carlos’ rut, but once it ended they trained together again. A certain routine was settling in between them as the weeks went by. And Carlos had become convinced this rutting was quite bearable once he got used to it. Until it had decided to kick in a week sooner than expected, completely without warning, in the fourth month.

Tourney-practice had just ended when Carlos noticed he was running a fever & suddenly smelled Jay’s scent more strongly than usually. He realized the situation & groaned loudly as he cursed internally, balling his fists as he quickly pulled off the training jersey. Jay had heard him & stepped over, asking what was wrong. Carlos knew what Jay was to ask & couldn’t answer, seeing Jay standing before him in nothing but a towel as the dark boy was about to shower. His eyes hitched on Jay’s subtle curves, as the dark teen’s muscles flexed softly underneath his tanned skin when he bent over to Carlos, repeating the question. Carlos shook his head, trying to snap out of it as realisation hit Jay as well. “Oooh. Has it started?” He had finally seen how Carlos’ Mark had become darker again, as it was wanton to do during his ruts. Carlos softly nodded as he starts stuffing his bag, deciding to forsake the shower as is, to prevent his growing erection due Jay’s presence from being seen by the others in the room. He had quickly run out as Jay was softly laughing at the sudden turn of the situation. Deciding he couldn’t come back to their dorm smelling as strongly as he did, he had stepped under the shower in haste, choosing a stall far removed from the entrance of the room, determined not to let anyone see his half-hard erection, there because of Carlos’ stronger scent. “Damn, Carlos. Should’ve expected it when I woke up smelling him this morning.” Jay was thinking as he lazily soaped his chest & arms before making sure every inch of his skin is clean. Absentmindedly rubbing his cock with the soap, he started thinking about Carlos’ first rut & had felt the familiar feeling of rut-induced lust kick in. He didn’t care if anyone would catch him in the act, but if he went back to Carlos now in his excited state, they wouldn’t be able to stop touching each other. As such, he slowly started rubbing his hand up & down his now fully erect shaft, thinking about Carlos’ tight cunt & how he had blissfully fucked it during their first rut, filling the eager boy with his cum afterwards. “Fuck!” He began cursing as he’s went on panting, the warm water running of his back & people unknowingly entering & leaving the other stalls. It didn’t take long before he had reached his climax & a few strings of cum hit the shower floor, running down the drain with the water as Jay slowly catches his breath. He’s almost sure he heard someone stop before his stall-door when he came, as he had grunted a bit louder than expected, but he honestly couldn’t have cared less at the moment, finishing up as he shampooed his hair & shortly after left the stall. He catched Ben glancing at him & had given him a knowing smirk, causing Ben to look away with red face. “And that’s supposed to be the new king.” Jay smirked again as he dried off. When he finally reached his dorm, he saw Mal & Evie had already gotten the word as they were seated by Carlos’ bed, sharing hot cocoa & chocolates. Noting Carlos’ wet hair, Jay surmised the boy probably took a cold shower here to cool down. It had become a habit whenever Carlos’ rut was a bit worse than expected that he’d slip under a cold shower to cool down & get rid of his stubborn erections, although it didn’t help with diminishing the production of his spicy scent.

Motioning Jay towards a fourth cup standing on his bedstead, Carlos had greeted him. “Hey, J. Sorry I ran off. Juts had to get out of there before anyone noticed…” Jay had simply smiled, as he bend down to place a kiss on Carlos’ forehead. “It’s okay, C. I know, so I decided to shower there. Do I smell?” Carlos turned up his nose as he sniffed the air, trying to smell Jay’s personal aroma. “Terribly, like always,” he teased before sipping his cocoa again, coaxing a smile on Jay’s face. Mal & Evie continued chatting about their day, as the four discussed the upcoming exams. Carlos whined softly, as his first exam was in a week. “I don’t think I can study very well during a rut, not if we have to share the exam. I mean, Jay & I have Tourney-History on Saturday as exam.” Jay silently cursed as he remembered the shared exam. He hadn’t expected Tourney to come with a theoretical exam, but secretly he wasn’t too distraught about it. The lessons had given them a fair number of good strategies & Jay’s quick wits had managed to subtly alter some of those strategies into game-winning plays. Mal spoke as she took another chocolate & dropped it in her cocoa. “Well, you could always ask nurse Janett for a permit of leave. I mean, you can use it to skip tomorrow’s lessons, no? If you do that, your rut should be over by –“ she paused counting out the days in her head, “Thursday. Than you’d have at least three days to study seeing how it would be ending.” Carlos nodded as he sipped his cocoa again, leaving a small chocolate moustache above his lips. Jay smiled at this, loving how Carlos always managed to make moustaches with every beverage he drank. He had even managed to get a latte-moustache when they had tried the coffee of the school for the first time. Jay hadn’t taken a liking to it, preferring the thick mud-pressed sludge from the Isle above the bitter solution that Auradoneans so loved. At least that had a kick & kept you awake in order to prevent yourself from drinking it again absentmindedly & experience the horrible taste again. “I kind of want to run this rut out, M. I mean, I have managed to get through the others & I guess I’ll have to learn how to cope with an unexpected rut as well. After all, I can’t always have Jay around just to fuck the rut out of me.” Jay had been surprised at Carlos’ boldened usage of curses when the boy had started using them two months ago, during his second rut, when he had suddenly spewed out a conga of slurs that would have made captain Hook turn red of embarrassment. It had been because his rut had become very strong overnight. Carlos had woken up with a high fever, raging erection & soiled bed sheets, sending the boy’s annoyed mood over the edge & straight into Davy Jones’ locker of foul moods, curses & raging torrents of lust. He had spewed forth slur after slur, causing Jay to giggle uncontrollably as he listened to the young boys tirade but Jay had quickly stopped when the boy’s angry lust-filled eyes had turned towards him. Before Jay had the time to react, Carlos had flung himself atop of him & had started to bite in Jay’s neck. Unexpectedly turned on by the pain & Carlos’ boldness, Jay had let the boy go on as he bit down harder & had broken Jay’s skin. It had reminded him of Carlos’ Marking, when he had bit down on Carlos’ neck in the exact same spot. Though it hadn’t come to sex that time, it had certainly shaken Jay’s conceptions about Carlos’ nature. Even though they had know each other for years, they all still discovered new things about one another as they spent more time together as a family – for that was what they had come to see their friendship as. Friends forming a family where they had none, for none of their parents had ever truly felt love for them. The only exception having been the Evil Queen who, despite her harsh bringing up of Evie, had loved her daughter dearly without a doubt. Jay was pulled from his reminiscing when Mal asked him something. “Sorry, what? Wasn’t paying attention?” Mal looked dismayed at him, repeating the question. “What are you going to do? Want to help Carlos through his rut or not?” Jay knew the boy was impossible to persuade once he had made his choice. “I’ll help him get through it. I’ll keep my hands in my pockets & my nose out of his business unless he needs help.” He smiled at Carlos who was looking extremely tired & had a soft smile spread on his lips. Even after three ruts, they had to still get used about it all…

During the next days, Carlos had difficulty cooping with the rut, but he didn’t give in. He had upped his daily dose of pills to three, showering once when awake & once before going to sleep. He had even begun drinking more coffee to banish the feeling of exhaustion the ruts usually brought with them. He had decided not to avoid Jay & had even begun to sleep in Jay’s bed, wrapped in the dark teens strong arms. Jay & Carlos knew it would only worsen his rut, but Carlos was adamant & had given Jay such a glare as that the teen was sure had he been milk, he would have been insta-curdled into cheddar. He hadn’t even expected Carlos could glare like that & was even more surprised when the small boy started becoming flirtatious around Jay. Was Carlos simply copying his mate or was something else happening? He hadn’t much time to wonder about it as Carlos had suddenly collapsed on the ground in a fit of cramps when the muscle-aches kicked in. Usually they developed over the course of a day, but this time the situation had forced them fully on the pale teen in the matter of an hour. When he had brought Carlos to the infirmary, nurse Janett couldn’t do much more than apply a weak anaesthetic to send Carlos asleep. She had spent the next hour giving Jay tips on what to do when certain situations arose. The most useful thing she told him was the fact that a strong concentration of an alpha’s smell could send their mate in a trance or delirium, if the concentration was great enough. She listed a few examples of things that could hold such a smell, like sporting clothes, which prompted Jay to keep one of his jerseys unwashed & locked away in their room in case of an emergency. When Carlos had woken after an hour or three, nurse Janett repeated the discussion with him & afterwards had send them to their dorms with a permit for a week, so that Carlos could spend the rut out in quiet. But after half a day of being locked up, Carlos had become more bored than he had ever been. He had started taking apart the radio in the room & began hotwiring it anew, as to try & establish contact with the Isle of the Lost. One of his old plans had been a radio which could penetrate the Barrier, which it had done, but now he simply wished to circumvent it & make contact with the people on the Isle as were wanton to rehabilitate & become good. Jay had told Ben, who in turn had given Carlos the all-clear, provided the first thing he would do was to contact the Evil Queen. It had fallen to Ben’s ears that Evie missed her mother extremely & Ben couldn’t bear to see someone in hurt if there was anything he could do about.

All the while, during these three months, Ben had been investigating the circumstances surrounding Genie’s lamp & the measures put in place by his father, King Adam. Mal had told him any good king needs eyes & ears where one wouldn’t expect so he had quickly turned to Mrs. Potts who always knew all that happened in the castle. He & Mal had sweetly engaged the elderly cook in her kitchen, casually bantering & hiding their obvious questions as cloaked suggestions. Mrs. Potts had been on to them early on, but had played the game along, providing only subtle clues & vague answers, yet it had helped them as much as anything, so Mal showed him afterwards. They had figured that King Adam had distributed the great magical artefacts, those not contained in the museums because of their tendency to disappear, throughout Auradon. Their locations had been based on suggestions made by Fairy Godmother, Genie & the Three Good Fairies, along with cautions, aid & suggestions of many other of the great Wise. These Wise included Madame Odie, the Blue Fairy & Mother Willow so Mal & Ben were fairly certain they couldn’t find these objects without inside information. Which objects these were & where they had been hidden, they had no clue of whatsoever, save one – the Sword in the Stone had been hidden in the Kingdom of Beast himself. It had been revealed by Mrs. Potts, who had known of it through Queen Tiana, who exchanged the info with Mrs. Potts for a recipe, who’d heard of it via Madame Odie who had been told of it by Merlin himself. Sometimes gossip was a girl’s best friend, so Mal would remember Ben ever afterwards. Where the Sword in the Stone was located exactly was anyone’s guess, but Mal & Ben had been listing possible locations from the moment they knew about it. The Enchanted Lake was not an option, for it hadn’t been there, as was the Hidden Spring where Genie’s Lamp was. Fat chance that King Adam would hide two powerful magical artefacts on the same spot. One location Ben thought showed great potential had been the ruins of Camelot, but Mal deduced it too obvious a location for the object. Nonetheless they had continued looking.

At the same time, Ben had decided to recruit his own spies, relying on his contacts in the many kingdoms & selecting a few contacts who would keep him up to date with all information regarding villains, magical objects & behind-the-scenes actions of their rulers. This last had given them a few surprising insights, like the fact that King Charming was apparently a bit too fond of lace, which had been found out when one of the butlers had come across the King wearing a supposedly very subtle & yet airy lace gown. Ben had turned red at this piece of knowledge while Mal had begun to laugh her head off, not stopping for a good half hour during which he had been sure she died nearly thrice from a lack of oxygen when she turned blue, stopped laughing & instead heaved her chest wheezing with contorted face. He had urged her not to reveal this to anyone ever, because he really wanted to keep the Charmings on his good side. They had, after all, been the best friends of his parents & were the sole reason he & Chad had become such good friends. He was about to say, “Especially since that one summer were Chad & me did…” but had stopped himself before he spilled the beans. Mal had stopped laughing at this, as her characteristic mischievous smile had shown on her face, foretelling she would never stop guessing exactly what delicious scandal had happened between Ben & Chad during that one very hot summer when they had been all alone in a cabin in the woods. He jokingly said they had accidentally summoned a Great One, but when she didn’t laugh, he knew he had lost. Gods, he hoped she’d never found out…

Then Ben had made contact with Dr. Facilier on the Isle of the Lost, after he made a vague promise to improve Facilier’s conditions on the Isle in exchange for details on the where-abouts & doings of the children of the other great villains. Always having been one for backstabbing allies & foes alike for the furthering of his own good, Dr. Facilier had eagerly agreed & now send Ben weekly reports on the situation on the Isle. And they didn’t sound good. After Maleficent’s defeat, a power vacuum had resulted & other Greater Villains had been bickering about who was to take her place. Cruella & Jafar had stood together in favour of the Red Queen, while the Evil Queen had retreated back to her own castle in the far corner of the Isle, wearied of all the plotting & missing her daughter. Among other contestants for the vacant throne had been Madame Medusa, Gaston, Madame Mim, Mother Gothell & Morgana. But after a while, their defeat had been ensured in many ways, including the disappearance of Madame Medusa & the sudden retreat of Gaston after a certain hairy incident. Morgana had been pulled back by her sister Ursula, who had taken her place & support. And by now, only a few villains remained in the running of gathering votes & support. They were Ursula, the Horned King, Madame Mim, the Red Queen & Yzma the Advisor. This worried Ben, as the contestants still in the running all were serious threats when they had their powers still, some almost on par with Maleficent herself. Indeed, some still had the skills that made them so dangerous as these skills hadn’t been magic, but brain. The one ray of hope had been the Evil Queen’s behaviour, which showed to Ben a heart capable of loving & a weariness of evil deeds or plotting. And so he had resolved to grant Evie’s wish via Carlos’ new invention if possible.

“So, Carlos, when do you think it’ll be finished?” Jay asked the pale teen, who had been tinkering with the gutted machine for almost the entire week, straight through the worst of his rut. Indeed, his morning fevers were almost gone now & his pill-usage had been reduce to one a day. Jay was proud of Carlos for getting through his rut almost unaided, but he also knew that it was mainly because of the opportunity to tinker with something that Carlos had been distracted enough not to notice the unpleasantries the rut caused him. By now, the machine had been completely gutted, analysed, added to & subtracted from, refitted, tested, amended & refitted again. Carlos grunted a pleased huff, which Jay took to mean “within half a week”. He had become really good at interpreting Carlos’ grunts, moans, sighs & mutterings during the week, hearing them over & over again as he saw the boy act upon them & do this or that. Ben had stopped by a few times, watching Carlos tinker about & smiling every time at the progress the teen had made. Jay had been happy to see Carlos busy with the thing, pleased with how it had positively distracted them both from the rut. A few days after, he saw how Carlos finally slowly fitted the machine in its casing & flipped it over gently, closing the casing & finally plugging it in the contact. A few minutes of final tinkering & Carlos had started tuning the buttons on the machine, until it had kick-started with a whine of static & hums. After another half hour, it had responded to a certain frequency when suddenly, instead of Auradon Prep. Radio, it had tuned into the Lost Isle Broadcast, blaring a croaky voice through the air, which was reciting some sort of poll results.

“… and on third place is currently, with 17.8% of the votes, the Terror of the Seas herself, Ursula of Atlantica. On second place, with 23.1% of the votes, the Shade of Death, the Horned King. Finally, on a shared first place, each with 25% of the votes, the Royal Advisor, Yzma of Kuzconia, & the Dragon of the Greens, Madame Mim. Next week shall see the end of the voting & rallying, when shall be decided who is to take Maleficent’s throne besides Grand Vizier Jafar of Agrabah & Magnate Cruella de Vil.” The broadcast stopped abruptly as Carlos had hit the button the moment his mother’s name was mentioned. Jay saw the boy turn pale with dread, as he flashbacked to his mother’s abuse without conscious initiative. Jay gently took Carlos in his arms, who flinched before realizing it was Jay. They slowly went to sit down on the bed as Carlos broke out in tears, holding tightly to Jay’s vest, who had scooped up the smaller teen & sat him on his lap, arms over the boy in a protective way. “Shhh, it’s okay, Carlos.” He whispered softly, stroking the boy’s hair & back, as Carlos sobbed in his embrace. “Don’t hold back. Let it go. It’s okay…” The next hour, the room was filled with silence and the soft sobbing of a boy, scarred with abuse on skin & bone…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, we are introduced to certain very old villains. And somehow they managed to decide their new leader with a democratic voting, though the votes will probably be rigged as they are maintained by villains, camiknickers & half-casts. 
> 
> Yzma, the Royal Adviser to Kuzco, tried to assassinate him via poison, but only managed to turn him into a llama, herself into a cat & her sidekick Kronk into a traitor.  
> The Horned King, an ancient enemy of an ancient kingdom, tried to take over the world by making an army of the death. He failed & was sent to Hell, but managed to return, only to be defeated once more & banished to the Isle of the Lost. Now more man than ever before, he is still immensely powerful & commands fear in many a black heart.  
> Madame Mim, enemy to Merlin, who she had challenged to magical duel, only to be defeated by his wits & a silly bug. She somehow has retained some of her old powers, though greatly diminished in strength & effect.  
> The Queen of Hearts, enemy to Alice Lidell & greatest ally to insanity & vanity, banished to the Isle for her tyrannical rule of Wonderland. Still of great posture, she could squat your brains out with her thighs.  
> Madame Medusa, a cruel woman who used child-slaves to find a buried treasure, but was somehow defeated by mice? Yeah, not many villains get how that happened & she refuses to talk about it.  
> Morgana, sister of Ursula & niece to Ariel, was ever in the shadow of her big sister & now isn't any different. The moment she gains some support, Ursula decided a better hand is needed for a fist of iron rule & replaces herself with Morgana. Having both suffered bitter defeat at the hands of Ariel & her kin, they vow bitter vengeance against Triton, Atlantica & Seaside.
> 
> Poor Carlos, will he ever manage to work out his abusive youth?
> 
> Edit; Added extra dialogue, fixed a few mistakes & upped word-count to 5000.


	9. Weeds & Thorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos' invention kickstarts a whole new event, as Auradon is brought up-to-date with the happening-on's of the Isle of the Lost. But who exactly is going to win this fight?

When Ben arrived at their dorm a few hours later, Mal & Evie had filled him in on the situation as he had taken it on himself to also comfort Carlos & make him relax. He had been impressed to hear that Carlos had managed to breach the Barrier & get a hold on the frequencies of the Isle of Lost, a feat that not even his best engineers would be able to repeat. Although Auradon broadcasted its own frequencies on the Isle, this was done by radio-mast located just inside the Barrier & they had not equipment to listen in on the illegal broadcasts of the Isle itself. He had been shocked to hear that Carlos had gotten a panic-attack when the broadcast had mentioned his mother. Ben had been sure the four had already managed to process some of their childhood abuse, but Carlos apparently had had the worst of the worst abuse inflicted upon him by Cruella. It shouldn’t have surprised Ben, he thought, he was supposed to know his subjects & their mental health. He could just hit himself on the head when he heard it. When he entered the room with Mal, he found Evie & Jay seated next to Carlos’ bed, where the small boy was resting, covered under an avalanche of blankets & embedded in a sea of pillows. Later Ben found out Carlos had kept these on his bed, for him to nestle in it to sleep. He pulled Jay aside, asking for details of what they heard. Jay was looking worriedly at Carlos as he spoke about the polls. “Dunno, man. Seemed like they were sharing the result of a voting, a voting to select a new head-villain now that Mal’s mom is gone. Look, I’ll tell you the details later, but let’s say it’s not good if it involves Jafar and…” Jay refused to say the name near Carlos, as he simply mouthed it to Ben, before hurrying back to Carlos’ side. Evie stood up & joined Ben with Mal. “This is bad, Ben. He didn’t have an attack for almost two months by now, so this one was extremely bad. I guess that it being on the end of his rut was the only good thing, otherwise it could have been much worse than this. Even if his exhaustion from the rut might have made it a bit more serious & sudden than normally.” Mal softly tugged at Ben’s arm, as to indicate they should leave the boys to their own company. She had figured out, long ago when still on the Isle, that Jay had a golden touch with Carlos & had managed to calm the pale boy down faster than anyone else could ever hope. When they had left the boys, Ben had gone to his own room, which had been fitted out with several computers & a large screen. He gave a quick recap into his computer, sending it to his royal advisors – namely his parents & the Council of his father. They would question him about the source of information, but he couldn’t care less at the moment. The entire situation had evolved drastically, and to the worst possible worst of the worst. Nothing would be worse than a new leader for the villain-council on the Isle, especially if it would include Madame Mim or any of the others…

The next day, Ben had sat down with Carlos to talk about the broadcast & try to keep the boy relaxed as well, Jay being nearby to help in case Carlos broke down again, but Carlos kept himself strong & cited the broadcast almost exactly. When he came to the mention of his mother, he spent a few moments in silence, before speaking her name with a shudder & trembling voice. Ben asked a few more questions, as he tried to comfort the boy by patting his back. “Are you okay, Carlos? I’m sorry you had to hear about your mother because of the radio. Had I known, I wouldn’t have let you do it.” Carlos shook his head as he replied to Ben, his eyes red from the tears spilt throughout the night. “It’s not your fault, Ben. The radio took my mind of the rut for the entire week so it was a very good thing to do. I just… I just wasn’t prepared to hear her name fall. It just took me off guard, is all. I’m fine now.” Carlos gave Ben his sweetest smile, though Ben could see in Carlos’ eyes, he was still shaken & hurt. He gave Carlos another pat on the shoulder before giving him a tight hug. “Good boy. Can we take the radio? I kinda wanna stay up to date with what they’re all planning on the Isle. We had expected Ursula to have taken off when the Barrier was breached, so it was surprising to hear she & her sister were still there.” Carlos nodded & Ben made his leave, after giving Jay a hug as well, which the dark thief returned awkwardly. Physical contact of a loving kind with anyone but the other three was still a bit of a hurdle to him. After a few men took away the radio, Carlos & Jay were left alone again in their dorm. Carlos nestled himself in the pillows again as he plugged his earphones in. He wanted to sleep, forget the memories & drift away in blissful ignorance. But he couldn’t ever do that, he realized, when he felt Jay sink into the pillows next to him. He could never forget, because it would mean forgetting about Jay & his love for him. And that was something that he dreaded even more than remembering Cruella’s years of abuse of him. He absentmindedly rubbed over the scars on his wrist, where Cruella pushed out cigarette & cigar buds when he hadn’t cleaned her furs, as she wanted. He hated the bitch & he was angry with himself for hating her. A child shouldn’t hate its parents & that made him even more angry towards her. He had been thinking about it all ever since yesterday, after having his first attack in months. He had broken down again, falling into Jay’s arms like a small child. He was still small, but he wasn’t a child. Hadn’t been one since Cruella had given him his first scars. He knew now, had resolved his decision. Next time he would ever see her, he would make her cry, make her weep for mercy. He wanted her to beg him to stop, to forgive him, like he had to her so many times. A dark hatred, surrounded by anger & spite, was forming in his heart. But in his mind, he hoped it would never come to that. He never wanted to hurt anyone like his mother had hurt him, even if it was her. He was going to be better than her, he thought, going to forgive her, but deep down inside, he knew he couldn’t. Next time, Cruella would die…

“The boy will pay,” Cruella thought to herself as she looked about her house. Furs everywhere, unkempt, unbrushed, imperfect. “The brat has left me, all alone. Ungrateful child!” She threw her bottle into the fireplace, a large flame bursting out & scorching the carpet when the bottle ignited. “Jasper! Horace! Here! Nooow!” She shrieked, her voice carrying far & wide, as she urged the men to her feet. Hearing her yell, the men were scurrying over & under each other to get to her before she became impatient. The last months had been hell for the two men, as Cruella’s temper had gained a ferocity & darkness neither had ever seen before. Not even when those fucking dogs had thwarted her plans, had she been this foul & demonic. The men hoped she wouldn’t think them slow again, their backs still hurt from the lashes she had given them yesterday when she had deemed them & second late in bringing her fur coats back cleaned. She was waltzing around the room again, kicking garbage aside & gently picking up furs & placing them high up on cabinets where they were safe from her wrath. Her closet had been empty for weeks now, as her furs no longer were cleaned in time to be hung back into the death trap filled with bear-traps. She let go of the furs & instantly turned about, her rage returned on her face which had contorted to a scowl which would make a gargoyle whimper in fear & leap from its rooftop. “You’re late!” She threw another bottle at the men, who hurriedly ducked to avoid the alcohol as it hit the wall behind them & spilled on a coat lying too close. Cruella erupted, furious at the desecration & befouling of her precious coat. “Fools! Idiots! Interlopers!” She took out her whip & aimed at the men, who scrambled to the door, fearing for their lives, sanity & skin on their backs. She whipped them, again & again as they tried to escape the room. Only when they had fled, whining in pain & fear, did she calm down. And this was a time when all those knowing her, would run for the hills. All anger left her, as she decided on a plan. She took all anger, fury & rage, rolling it into a ball of seething wrath as she placed it into the form of a plan. A plan like she never had before, which made her grin widely. Anyone looking in by then would have sworn they saw a woman wearing the face of a shark. They would see a woman ready to kill, maim, flay & skin her enemies. And she knew exactly who to begin with. Oh yes, she knew exactly who to begin with… “Ooh, Carlos~”

Ursula was seated in her throne, deep in the sea-caves bordering the Nowhere. She looked pleased, her eyes scanning the shelves around the wall. There stood bottles filled with dragon’s blood, newt eye, crab legs, murine teeth, … “Almost complete again, my precious collection.” She hummed as she left her throne & floated about her shelves, putting stray bottles back in place, as she inspected them again. She had spent the last twenty years filling up her collection after she had been resurrected & put in this jail. Only a few ingredients were missing, including the voice of a certain mermaid & Triton’s trident. She remembered those glorious moments with pride & joy. For a small time, she, Ursula of Atlantica, sister of Triton, Lord of the Seas, she had been the Avatar of the World Ocean. She had been filled with wrath, power & greedy malice, as she had wielded the trident with all the power of the ocean. And then she had died, killed by that insolent human & ungrateful mermaid Ariel. Had she not given her the best deal of her life? Why, it had practically been a steal. Losing your voice is nothing to gaining legs, she had reasoned, yet for that ungrateful brat, it hadn’t been enough. She wanted more & took it with force, by killing Ursula. But Ursula almost didn’t care about that anymore. She was happy now, as her plans were nearing completion. She didn’t need the throne of the Isle. She simply needed someone to challenge Auradon & break down the Barrier one more time. True, she had stayed when it fell for the first time, but her dear Flotsam & Jetsam had gone out & brought back to her a treasure, which had been worth the wait. Her old contracts, her precious magical powers that had been dormant for decades, were back again. And she hadn’t lost time in getting back her beautiful form. Spending the last decades in human form had been disgusting. She was happy being back to her voluptuous & gorgeous old self. How she had missed the sea, which she dwelt in once more. “Flotsam, Jetsam? Come here, my pretty boys.” She purred, as the eels slowly slithered to her. They were old now, older than should have been possible. And this had brought Ursula to a very convenient truth. “In the Isle, we can not die of age.” Undoubtedly, it had been part of the enchantment which had brought all of them back from the death, to prevent their punishment from ending with their death by old age. She had to give it to King Adam though. It was the perfect punishment & she had shuddered with pleasure that he would have made a most perfect villain. “My boys~” She squealed as they rubbed about her, scratching their heads with content. “Get my sister, boys. It’s time to break out.”

Madame Mim was cackling with Yzma’s tale, as the Royal Advisor was talking again about her failed attempt at killing Kuzco. “So Kronk, the idiot that he is, had switched the goddamn vials! Instead of a corpse, I got a llama! A godamn fucking llama!” Yzma exclaimed loudly, as Mim kept laughing. Yzma hadn’t kept a grudge about her failure of Kuzco, instead she had taken the past decade to figure better plans. She had taken an extreme liking to Mim, sensing a kindred spirit in the insane witch, who was still cackling of pure joy before her. “So we go around, trying to find the fucker, who keeps eluding us! I mean, he was a fucking llama! How can you lose to a llama? They can’t even chew properly!” Yzma spat out, flapping her arms around her, ruffling the skimpy & purple feather dress she was wearing. Mim rolled over, her arms clutched at her stomach, as she roared. “Oohoohoohoo! I know the feeling! Hihihih! I! I!” she gasped, trying to speak, “I got beaten by a bug! A literal bug! Damn Merlin changed to a bug & infected me with the flu! The damn flu! Ever heard of such a thing!” Mim puffs, as she tries catching her breath between laughs. Yzma is laughing as well, as they reminisce about their hilarious failings together. Yzma & Mim, neither could even begin to think how they could have survived all these years without each other. Even though villains generally looked down upon friendships, if the friendship in question included a royal advisor capable of turning you in just about anything & a witch who could still change her form just enough to gut your belly, people knew better than to speak up.

He was standing in his throne-room, in his castle in the Nowhere. He was thinking about the past, about his fall, his rise & his imprisonment. And he was not pleased. He wandered the room, stopping before the window that looked out over the Forest of Nowhere, where in the distance lay the hub of the Isle. He looked, observed, pondered. He was not winning, he knew. He didn’t care about people fearing him. They were just pawns for him to sacrifice in his quest to conquer the world. But he needed them to love him now. And he didn’t know how. He thought how it used to be simpler, how his command brought forth legions & legions of undead to do his bidding. He ruled supreme that time, before he had been sent to Hell by the boy. That boy, that damnably enervating courageous boy who had cast him down into the Cauldron. But he was here now and he was still strong. Strong enough to bend the people to his will, to his desires & demands. He had forced them to rebuild the castle, the castle that had not been his but hers. Yes, her, the Dragon Queen. She was gone now, but he was not. And he took her castle for his, for he was here & she was not. He wondered where she now was. He had liked her, her malice & anger, her spite & demands. She struck fear like he did, like he was doing still. And he looked out again towards the town, as he laughed. And the Horned King simply laughed, at how simple this all was.

Her Majesty was being dressed as they listened to the results of the polls. At once, their good humour evaporated as royal sternness masked their anger. “How it is possible, pray tell, that we are not winning, servant? Are the people not content with our rule? Have we not given them food last week?” The servant girl bowed low before she answered in even voice, “The people would appreciate it more, my queen, if they were given food every week instead of once, so they say.” The Red Queen turned about when they were dressed, turning to the servant before them. “The people have no right to tell their queen what they should do for them. Find the ones who say this & cut off their heads.” She answered sternly, a cold look of determination gracing her face as the servant girl stood up & took leave. “Our Majesty, we have already found & imprisoned several defectors who decried your wise decisions. Should you wish to view their execution now or after breakfast?” The Queen turned to the servant boy, who bowed low before her. “Why, servant, now of course. What else, pray tell, should we do otherwise to amuse ourselves with during breakfast? Bring the prisoners forth & prepare our seats, we wish to be able to see their faces when their neck detaches from their shoulders. ‘Tis always amusing to see their fear dissolve into acceptance.” She stepped forth, her balcony-door opened before her by a servant, as she strode unto the balcony & looked down upon the plaza before her castle. “How are the people today, servant? Are they contended with our rule?” The servant child bowed low as they answered. “They have appreciated your decisions not to knock off their heads for speaking improperly to you, our Queen. They realized they were not of good standing to speak & shall ever forth refrain from conversing to our Majesty without their express will.” The Queen smiled a curtsy smirk, as she watched the throngs of hungry people clamber about the plaza, eager to receive alms from the Palace. “Let them squirm, servant, for now. Throw over the heads first, once our breakfast is over, before the loafs are thrown. They should appreciate they can still masticate their meals & have our grace to favour them.” She waved her gloved hand towards the people who bowed low as they noticed. “Yes,” she thought, “now this is control.”

Jafar gazed at the red Queens display of power from Dragon Hall, smiling softly as the people bowed low before her. “Why yes, she shall indeed be a fine addition to our Council, shall she not be?” He mused to himself, now that Yago was missing from his side. The stupid bird had flown off when the Barrier had fallen, but hadn’t returned since. He couldn’t really care less, he was honest with himself, as the bird had simply been a thing to talk to in times of reflection. He gripped his staff as he seated himself down on the throne now standing on the balcony of Dragon Hall. Ever since Maleficent’s disappearance, he had workers diligently build onto it. Maleficent hadn’t even spared the thought when she was still here & Jafar had always found the building not to be impressive enough. And seeing how the red Queen had began construction of a walled castle on the other end of the plaza, he found it only fair he do the same. After all, Dragon Hall was the place where the Council would rule from & now that the Horned King had taken over Maleficent’s old castle, which only he was seemingly able to do as others had fled the castle in a matter of hours, he had begun expanding upon the old Hall. New turrets had been added, rooms redone, walls knocked down. He had taken inspiration of the Sultan’s palace in Agrabah & had taken to using Cruella’s advice on making the interior extremely lavish as to impose those visiting on errand, execution or trial. And luck had truly been bestowed upon him, as his old staff had found its way to its old master when the Barrier fell. True, it hadn’t anywhere near the power it once begot, but it had still allowed him to hypnotize countless of idiots under his rule. Yes, he knew that they were all solidifying their forces. The population of the Isle was being divided amongst them all, as they were readying for the final poll. And when it came, it would end in battle between the contestants. But none had his power, yet. He would precede over the fight, together with Cruella. And it seemed now that Yzma & Mim had most people behind them, though how he couldn’t fathom. Both of the women were blatant idiots, who were lucky their charms swayed more people than his power of the Queen’s fearful rule could. But if they won, they would have to fight. There can only be one. And he was looking forward to it. It had been so long since he had seen blood being spilled for him. And he would relish the scene before he would turn his gaze to Auradon & that street rat of a son who had disobeyed his commands. “Oh, Jay. I really hoped you would be smarter…”

“Stuck! Still stuck! No bridge, no boats, no way out! Stuck! Curses, Smee! Curses, I need curses! Find me good curses!” Hook wailed as Smee sprang up & started cursing on his behalf. “Bilge-sucking traitors! Scurvy dogs! Damn it all to hell! M’en fou! Beelzebub take thee! Damn the seas! Curses! Flogging cully! Hanktellos-“ Smee tried to go on before Hook cut him off. “Good, Smee, good! But I need stronger stuff! I need foulness that curdles milk, curls toes, and burns ears! Darn it all to-“ Hook yelled a string of words that seemed to darken the sky above them, as Smee pulled his hat over his ears, while several of the crew fled in terror from the words escaping their captain & sprang into the sea. When Hook finally stopped, he looked calm & relieved, as he fixed his moustache & polished his hook absentmindedly. “Why, Smee, it has been so long since I could use that word. Truly, this new Barrier might be an improvement if I can say it again & again. Oh, Smee, Smee, Smee,” Hook pulled the elderly man towards him with his free arm, swaying his hook over the cliffs before them, where the town huddled on, the broken bridge just visible beyond. “What do you see, Smee? You know what I see? Opportunity. The Barrier is larger now, so we can finally roam the coast again. Oh, our poor ship hasn’t seen a good sailing since we were dragged from the ocean-floor & new life had been breathed upon our bodies. It yearns for a voyage, Smee. I yearn for a voyage, to see the open water again & hunt down that accursed Pan & those damnable children. Well,“ Hook turned about as he surveyed the stuffed crocodile on deck, which had a large clock shoved in its taxidermied mouth. “At least we have one enemy less. Oh, poor Tick-Tock. If only I could have forgiven you for eating my hand. Once I didn’t fear you anymore, alas, I must confess, the fun was lost.” He patted the stuffed thing & knocked his hook against the steel bands about the body of the beast. “Still, can never be too careful. You came back to life once, can’t have you come back again without being restrained.” Hook giggled as he fixed his moustache again, plopping some earwax unto the hairs & flexing them into shape. “Why, yes, Smee, to sail once again. Soon, yes, soon…”

Jay & Carlos were sleeping soundly, as the night wore on. Outside, daylight began to creep over the horizon, as night gave way to day. Carlos stirred as he began to wake, stretching his arms & legs while still in Jay’s embrace. As he did, he felt Jay’s erection sticking him in the butt, making Carlos turn around. He watched Jay sleep, softly breathing in & out, his hair sprawled about his face. Carlos loved being the first to wake, as he swore he could watch this all day long. He gave a soft kiss on the tall boy’s nose, as he slipped from the embrace into the bathroom. He looked into the mirror & saw his Mark had grown a darker shade again. He trailed his fingers over it, as he remembered the day Jay gave it to him. He could never forget the feeling of pleasure that Jay’s teeth puncturing his skin gave him. He looked happy, he realized. He had grown somewhat since they had arrived in Auradon, no doubt an effect of being able to eat healthy portions of unspoiled food. Tourney had made him more muscular, changing him from a small lean boy to a lithe fit young man. He was happy with the changes, especially now that his ruts had began to initiate yet other changes. Scars had begun to fade, while he had begun to grown more hair. He would never become as hairy as say Gaston, but he wasn’t as smooth as he had been on the Isle. He ran his hand over his chest, enjoying the feeling, thinking about Jay in the room. His own morning erection hadn’t gone yet & he slowly dropped his boxers, caressing the skin on his stomach & descending his hands upon his thighs. He had learned to enjoy these soft touches, as they were more efficient at sending him over the edge than rough explorations did. He & Jay had had time enough to discover each other’s bodies in the past months & they took it to their advantage when they masturbated together or alone. He slowly stroked his erection, pulling back his foreskin & lubricating the head with the drop of precum that had already leaked out. He thought about Jay’s lips around his cock, his fingers circling his rectum as he began to stroke his cock. His ruts had caused his body to start producing slick, which flowed from his rectum whenever he became horny. This change had pleased him the most, as it made anal play so much easier & enjoyable. Not having to worry about lube, he could make anal pleasure progress so much quicker than ever before. Gods, it had been since the beginning of his last rut that he jerked off. It felt good, better than then, as the build-up sexual tension surged through his body, seeking relief in climax & cumshot. He kept thinking about Jay, stroking harder & harder while pressing his fingers inside his hole. He didn’t take long before he shuddered, moaning Jay’s name & his cum spurted from his cock onto the floor. He panted softly, as he slowly pulled his fingers out & went under the shower. He reminisced, happily, about the past months. He wished this time together would never end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have our first POV's from genuine villains, as we are given an update as to what happened on the Isle of the Lost since Maleficent's defeat by the Rotten Four.
> 
> Ursula is rebuilding her potions & ingredients, intend on starting of from where she left when Ariel & Eric managed to defeat her.  
> Hook & his crew have finally managed to repair their ship now that the Barrier is further away from the coast than before, giving them room to sail the coast once more.  
> The Red Queen has build her own castle across Dragon Hall, intend on ruling the population in Maleficent's absence.
> 
> And we finally discover how Carlos has changed over the past months, since Jay Marked the small boy we have all come to love so much. But boys grow into men, as surely as night follows day...


	10. Two-Way Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Villains are gathering resources, as good people are experiencing strange happenings. What ever could the villains have planned to take down the Barrier once more?
> 
> Chapter 10 with 10.000 words, which will be done from now on for every tenth chapter!

Jay had felt Carlos slink away into the bathroom, as the boy was wanton to do whenever he got up first & didn’t wish to wake Jay or disturb him if he was waking up. When he heard the door close, Jay flexed a bit as he threw his arms high & stretched his legs, his toes curling as the stretch caused that nice relaxing feeling that was usually followed up by a nice long yawn. He had watched Carlos walking into the bathroom, focussing on the perfect sway of the boy’s hips & butt under his loose boxers, fixating on the curves of that gorgeous bottom that was irrevocably his to claim as his own. Carlos had taken to wearing Jay’s underwear after his own had become too small & caused his groin to be a bit too noticeable during the showers after Tourney-practice. That and the small boy simply loved to wear Jay’s worn boxers, swearing to Jay he didn’t mind they were worn as he loved the way they smelled of Jay’s earthy musk. Jay couldn’t help but smirk as the thought of Carlos in his underwear made his cock twitch in anticipation, his morning erection proudly presenting itself through his night-boxer. His morning erection had become daily ever since he had become an Alpha & Carlos got his Omega-status, something he both despised & loved. He guessed that the boy always being near him made his body think sex was never far off, which it wasn’t in many cases but still. Their newly grown libidos had surprised them many times, as they had flung themselves into bed & enjoyed the pleasures of their bodies sliding into union, with Jay’s cock always easily gliding into Carlos’ cunt & making them fit perfectly together like two puzzle-pieces. Jay pulled down his jock & slowly started stroking, thinking about Carlos moaning when he trusted his cock in the boy’s tight ass, who would always plea with jay to fuck him & claim him. Fuck, he could never not cum when he thought about those delicious scenes of a moaning & panting Carlos looking up at him with pleading eyes full of lust. He brought a finger to his own hole, as he teased the sensitive spot between his balls & ass, sending shivers of anticipation through his spine. Though Carlos hadn’t fucked him yet, Jay was determined that the next time they would have sex, he would make Carlos top him & claim Jay’s own anal virginity. He had been fingering himself for the last week, unsure what came over him whenever he had pushed his fingers in his greedy cunt during his masturbation sessions. He softly slipped a finger in after sucking on it & leaving some saliva on it, making it wet & smooth. As the finger slipped past the first ring of muscles, he gasped at the feeling as his throbbing cock let out a droplet of precum on his stomach. Slowly pushing further, that blissful feeling of being penetrated increased as he started stroking his cock harder, pulling his foreskin back and forth more quickly & heightening the sensation. Slowly crooking his fingers inside of him, Jay was searching for that certain spot & gasped out loud when he hit it, brushing it in haste. Rubbing over it, he moaned as more droplets of precum spurted from his cock. The feeling was too good & he never did last long once he started rubbing his prostate, but he never could care. Rubbing the sensitive bundle of nerves harder & faster, he felt his climax rising, stroking his cock quicker. A few minutes later, Jay’s body tensed up as his ass constricted his fingers & his cock spurted several large strings of sperm unto his stomach & chest. 

He sighed deeply as he steadied his breathing, as the feeling of the orgasm ebbed away & made place for that typical exhaustion & drowsiness. But when he opened his eyes, it was to see Carlos standing by the bed, arms crossed with a wicked smile on his beautiful lips. “Had fun, babe?” Jay felt his cheeks redden, flustered at Carlos’ nickname for him, which he still hadn’t gotten used to. He never was one to be called any other nickname but J. And though he never had been ashamed of masturbating, but Carlos having just walked in without a noise, it had startled Jay. “I trained him too well, if even I can’t notice him walk up to me.” He tried to regain his composure as he put on his trademark smirk & answered Carlos. “Of course, bae. Was just thinking about you and that tight ass of yours.” Carlos grinned, unfolding his arms & descending unto the bed, hovering above Jay. He looked the tall teen into his eyes & started lapping up the strings if white that adorned Jay’s torso. Jay threw back his head, knowing better than to protest & enjoying Carlos’ tongue drawing circles around on his chest, taking in every droplets of Jay’s cum. Carlos hummed as he tasted the sweetness of Jay on his tongue, through mingled sweat & musk. He hadn’t bothered to dress up in anything but a fresh boxer & felt his own cock twitch, again growing as he traced circles about Jay’s chest, stopping at his nipples & softly biting into them. Jay’s moans as Carlos bit him made Carlos that more entranced with his growing lust. Carlos had come to know his own body really well, since his Marking had changed it. He had started to anticipate the ruts a week in advance & now listened to his instincts whenever they urged to pay attention to certain parts of Jay’s body. Somehow his instincts always knew what would make Jay moan the loudest & he didn’t resist them now as they urged him to bite down on Jay’s collarbone & try to puncture the pristine skin. As he closed his lips about the spot, Jay moaned until Carlos put his teeth to the skin & slowly started biting down. Jay squirmed beneath Carlos & if Carlos hadn’t grown throughout the past months, he was sure Jay would have pushed him back before his teeth bit through the skin. But he pinned Jay down, who let out a whine of pain & mixed pleasure, as the tall teen started beating sweat down his entire body. Carlos didn’t know what was happening, but he felt his lust multiplying when he felt Jay squirm. Grinding his pelvis down against Jay’s, Carlos let go of the skin when he started lapping up the metallic taste of blood. When he looked at his work, he was pleased to see a bite nearly a duplicate of the own on his own shoulder. And now he felt the voices cheer in his head. They hadn’t been prominent for the last months, save for during his ruts & seeing how his ruts was just two weeks passed, he knew it couldn’t be because of that. Jay lay back in trance almost, staring up at the ceiling through half-closed eyes as his chest heaved with his hurried panting. When he spoke, it nearly threw off Carlos for his own lust. “Fuck me…”

Carlos stood still for a few moments, making Jay wonder if his request had been too bold for the boy. Carlos had shown himself eager to learn everything he could about how to pleasure jay & himself, but they had never directly discussed Carlos topping Jay. Jay secretly had thought the boy reluctant to take the part, that he would find it off-putting. But when Carlos slowly began to grin & put his leg between Jay’s thighs, he knew the boy was eager to please. Carlos’ leg softly pushed Jay’s thighs apart, as he settled between them & started stroking Jay’s cock with his hand. Carlos inhaled the deep musky scent of Jay’s groin & shuddered in anticipation. Slowly licking Jay’s hard cock, he began his usual ritual. Licking the shaft, kissing the balls, rubbing his nose though the pubes above the base, before finally taking the cock in his hot mouth. Jay loved this ritual, as it pumped him up for the eventual treat. And, gods, when Carlos mouth once again enclosed his cock, Jay simply threw back his head & let out a deep long groan which sounded more alike a purr than a sigh. Carlos was enjoying this as much as Jay was, as he curled his tongue around the head of Jay’s cock, slowly stroking it internally & rubbing the sensitive tip along the roof of his mouth. He started purring, sending the vibrations through his mouth into Jay’s cock. He learned long ago that this could make the taller boy not just get over the edge but straight into the pool, in a manner of speech. He was careful to just graze the base of the cock with his teeth, sending a shiver of pain-induced lust through Jay’s hips. He felt the taller boy squirm, trying to trust into his mouth. Convinced to make the dark teen moan louder than before, Carlos dived deeper unto the cock, taking it completely in his mouth, slowly letting it slip into the back of his throat. He suppressed the urge to gag & continued his purring, the muscles of his troth directly vibrating against the sensitive head. Jay bucked his hips, forcing the tip just a bit deeper, as he locked his hands behind Carlos’ head, preventing the small teen from moving back as he bucked faster & faster. Carlos took it with grace, slowly stroking his own cock between his legs, as he let his hands wander about Jay’s hips, sometimes tracing the lines of his stomach, then exploring the crack between his buttocks & teasing the virgin hole it hid. He knew Jay had never been topped before, that the dark teen was scared to be penetrated and he was determined to make it the best fuck Jay ever would get.

Lubing his finger with his own slick, which had started flowing again due to the intimacy, he softly pressed it against the virgin bud of Jay’s ass. Slowly but surely, he pressed on, letting it casually slip inside as he continued servicing Jay’s throbbing member. Jay moaned, unaccustomed to the penetration by anyone but himself, but almost being driven insane by the pleasure of Carlos’ mouth. He moaned louder, even deeper now, the purr gone & grew into a soft roar, which reminded Carlos of the far-off sea. Encouraged by Jay’s vocal demonstrations, he picked up the pace & bobbed faster up & down the cock he so lovingly was taking care of. He pushed his finger deeper, slipping past the first ring of muscles faster than he had anticipated. Suddenly realizing he was slipping in too easily, he guessed that Jay had fingered himself before Carlos had exited the bathroom to see Jay panting on the bed, with his semen spent on his chest. “So, he has been practicing, huh?” Carlos thought to himself as he removed the finger & started lubricating his slick over his own rock-hard erection. Lazily scooping up the drops of slick from his ass & smearing them over his cock, he slowly let Jay’s cock slip from his mouth to which Jay moaned displeasured. He spread the dark boy’s thighs farther, as he shifted Jay’s hips higher, positioning Jay’s virgin ass right before his erection. Softly placing the head of his cock to Jay’s eager bud, he smirked as Jay opened his eyes to look up at Carlos. Carlos pushed softly, letting Jay moan wantonly before he thrusted hard, forcing his slick-covered cock completely in Jay’s rectum. Gasping loudly with a grimace of pain on his face, Jay cursed as he gripped Carlos’ forearms. “Shit, C.! What do you think you’re doing?” Carlos looked down on Jay, unwilling to give up his idea & determined to make the tall teen beg for release like he did with his every rut. “Just finishing the job you started, babe. Did you think I hadn’t noticed?” Carlos bend down, stroking Jay’s hair as he pressed their foreheads together. “I want to make you beg, Jay. I want to make you moan my name like your life depends on it. And I know I can make you do it.” At this, he bucked his hips against Jay, his cock hitting the bundle of nerves as it rubbed against them. Jay gasped, a moan forced out as he almost closed his eyes. Jay couldn’t stay focussed, the feeling reeling through him as Carlos commenced bucking. Not hastening the pace or deepening the thrusts, Carlos kept a steady rhythm, quickly building up the lust in Jay’s every fibre. Before long, Jay started to moan his name as he gasped every time Carlos bucked against Jay’s bubble but. He could feel the dark boy’s ass close around his cock with the end of every thrust, desperate to milk him. “Louder, babe. I want you to scream it.” Carlos whispered in Jay’s ear, as he began pelting the muscled boy with sexual obscenities. Jay, even though his consciousness was clouded by an overwhelming lust like he had never felt before, could grasp the words Carlos was uttering to him & was affronted to some degree that the pale boy he knew so well, knew such obscenities. If he had had the sense, he would have turned red of shame, but now these filthy whisperings were only building up his lust, encouraging it to rage in his hormonal body & rush the orgasm that was building up. He could feel the waves of lust break on his resolve, as the waves followed every thrust of Carlos’ steady buckings & whispered fantasies. He had never felt like this before, feeling like a lifetime of lust & sexual greed were taking over, forcing his conscious mind to a background of chattering instincts that demanded Carlos to leave his seed deep within, to claim him for all to see. And somehow, for some reason, this felt familiar – or sounded familiar. But he couldn’t keep focus, as he felt the waves crash against his resolve again & again. He whimpered when Carlos pulled back from his thrusts, only to moan his name loudly when he thrust forward again. He was not moaning it, no, he was proclaiming it! Demanding it, wishing others to see the love he had for Carlos! “Oh, Carlos! Hmmm, please… Ah. Carlos! Please… Please! Go on, Carlos!”

Carlos was all too eager to let this continue, he simply loved the way Jay lay beneath him, pleading for release & dominance. Squirming, sweat-covered, with Carlos’ cock buried deep within him, Jay looked like the best thing that ever happened to the world. Carlos took up the pace, as he felt he couldn’t keep it up for much longer as his own lust & pleasure were reaching their tipping-point. Stroking Jay’s cock as he kept thrusting the muscled boy, Carlos trailed his kisses along the edge of the bit he gave Jay. Licking up the small droplets of blood that had welled up from the bite had given, now mingled with the salt taste of perspiration & the taste of musk, Carlos had to fight his urge to bite down again & taste Jay’s blood once more. For some reason, he felt that Jay owed him for Marking him but he didn’t know why. Satisfying himself with simply lapping up any droplets welling up again, Carlos kept caressing the bite with his mouth, as he frantically bucked against Jay’s hip & stroked his twitching & leaking cock. He could feel Jay tense up underneath him, his muscles becoming rock-hard in response to his impending climax. Being close as well, Carlos felt Jay’s ass tighten around his cock. Giving up all reserve, Carlos let his impulses rule. As he started climaxing deep within Jay while Jay’s throbbing cock ejaculated string after string of pearly-white semen, Carlos bit down on the bite again, refreshing the punctures & drawing forth a multitude of blood droplets. Closing his lips around the wound, he softly sucked on it, his tongue tracing the punctures & lapping up the dark fluid. Panting heavy, dazed with his climax, Jay didn’t notice & just lay down beneath Carlos who hadn’t retreated his softening cock from the bud. Carlos tore himself free of the wound as his lust was reeled back in, realizing for the first time what he was doing. He looked down on Jay, panting heavy, hair sprawled on the cushions with an arm thrown over his head & another on Carlos’ leg, as his seed slowly began to trickle from the still-open bud which Carlos had just exited. Somehow, Jay lying there as he did, seemed simply appropriate, just right. Carlos tried to steady his breathing, as he sat up on the edge of the bed. After a few minutes, Jay finally got out of his daze & for the first time actually noticed the bite Carlos had given him. “Whoa, C! That’s one hell of a hickey!” He snarled jokingly, as he gave Carlos a punch on the shoulder. When Carlos turned to face him, Jay saw just how red his lips were. “C, is that my blood?” Carlos awkwardly nodded, as he drew up his knees to his bare chest, trying to wipe the blood from his lips. Jay traced the wound on his neck as he circled his hand over Carlos’ chest. “It’s okay, C. It doesn’t hurt, it was in the heat of the moment. I did the same, remember?” And then it hit Jay. He stood up, walking to bathroom. After staring in the mirror a few seconds, he called Carlos over. When Carlos shyly stood in front of him, he turned the boy’s attention to his bite. “Look familiar, bae?” he turned Carlos to face the mirror & anticipated the boy’s gasp. Standing beside each other, it become painfully obvious that Carlos bite on Jay’s neck was almost exactly the same as Jay’s Mark on Carlos’ neck. Though slightly smaller & with more puncture-wounds, it was situated on the exact same place. “Carlos, I think you Marked me.”

Evie sat with Mal, as they were discussing her relatively unexpected problem. Mal had expected it to be about anything, but this? She had to process Evie’s words for a few moments before she could even begin to formulate an answer as she began slowly repeating the words. “So, you-“ she pointed at Evie who was sitting awkwardly before her, “want my boyfriend, Ben-“ pointing at herself, “to knot your boyfriend Doug?” pointing to Evie again. Evie nodded solemnly, as Mal got a grip on the situation. “But I thought you were a beta?” Mal asked Evie, still wrapping her mind about the situation. “Well, technically I am, but Doug turned out- not to be?” Evie answered with a shrug & pained expression of confusion. Apparently she was still coming to terms with the situation as well. “It’s just, ever since we got together, Doug got this monthly bad period. We didn’t think much of it until last week when Doug spoke up to me about it. He said he hadn’t been able to sleep for a week since this new bad period begun. Well, when we got to it, he revealed he had been extremely horny every time during those periods. So I think he might be an omega.” Evie blushed, as Mal realized the predicament of the situation. Normally omegas don’t bond with betas, but only with alphas. Seeing how alphas are the only ones really able to “knot” an omega & stop their ruts, this meant Evie could do nothing to help Doug get rid of these ruts. “Okay, so that’s why. But why Ben?” Evie blushed as she shuffled uneasily, while Mal glared at her, waiting for an answer. “Because they’re already friends & I’d feel more at ease knowing it was between them instead of with a stranger. It’s also why I ask you. I don’t want it to be done without your acceptance & hoped you’d broker the solution to Ben, so that he’d be more willing to agree.” Mal stared blankly at the blue-haired nymph before her, trying to decide what to do. After a while, she sighed out loud & answered the nervous wrack that was now cowering before her leering glare. “Fine. I’ll break the question to Ben, but if he doesn’t want to, who will you turn to?” Evie smiled before Mal askes the question, quickly huddling down as she muttered. “Wes gonn ask J…” Mal shook her head, before asking Evie to repeat the sentence. Evie blushed even more as she spoke up louder. “I was gonna ask Jay…” Mal looked at Evie in bewilderment, before she spoke up to the girl. “And why do you think Jay will accept it if Ben doesn’t?” Evie smiled a knowing smirk as she simply stated, “Jay owes me a favour, as does Carlos.” Mal smiled at this, happy to see a flicker of the old Evie of the Isle of the Lost. “Aid, remember, beget. Well done, E.” She high-fived the princess who was giggling now, happy the awkward part had been dealt with in Mal’s case. “Well, we’ll see what Ben says, okay? I can’t promise anything, but if Jay owes you a favour, he might no longer be in a few weeks. Besides,” Mal flashed a mischievous grin at Evie, “there are worse people to be rutted by than Jay.”

Nurse Janett was inspecting the bite on Jay’s neck when the bell rang the first lesson of the day, soft sunlight streaming into the infirmary as the open window let in the sounds of singing birds & rustling leaves. “By Jove…” She arched back, a puzzled look on her face as she jutted down a few notes on her clipboard. Carlos sat quietly on the edge of the bed beside Jay, who lay down with shirt off & a bright light shining down unto the bite. She turned to the boys as she leaned in to inspect the bite further. “Discoloured skin, not a bruise. Punctures already healing, crust seemingly a week old. Can’t be. “ She sat up straight & seemed to give up mentally solving the puzzle. “Boys, I don’t know what to say. By all signs, I should say this a Mark. But it can’t be.” She stood up, turned of the light & signed a slip for Jay. She than sat down behind the computer as she waved the boys to sit down behind her desk. Quickly typing in her findings, she sighed, regained composure & faced the two young men seated before her. “Carlos, you have in fact Marked Jay, as you both suspected. And in all of my learning, you are the first Omega ever to have done so. But I know a few reasons why this might be, even if it might never have happened before.”

“Reason one is because you are either a lycanthrope or have had a lycanthrope as ancestor somewhere in your bloodline. Lycanthropes are the only humans capable of Marking anyone, as it is an indispensable part of their general anatomy & social behaviour. But seeing how you lack the usual associated symptoms, such as the monthly transformation, bodily complaints or others, we can safely rule this one out.”

“Reason two is because you are not an omega, but in fact an alpha. However, the strength of your ruts & their near-monthly occurrence also rule this out. Unless you’re an alpha with an unprecedented rut-cycle, this is not case. So we can really rule that one out as well.”

“Reason three is because you are an anomaly, a statistically absent example in a poorly understood biological & sociological mechanism. Either you present a whole new subdivision besides Alpha, Omega & Beta or your anatomy simply falls outside of these three classical divisions. I think this to be most likely. As such, I want to perform some tests when you have your next rut & when Jay will experience his first rut.”

At this, Jay exclaimed after having been still the entire time. “What?! I’m gonna have ruts too now?” Nurse Janett looked at him & repeated her claim. “I suspect so. Marks have always initiated ruts, be they on Omegas, Betas or Alphas. A Mark performed by an Omega on an Alpha is unprecedented, but simply a Mark put on an Alpha is not. Expect your first rut within the month, Jay. I need not explain to you what you can do to lessen it or get through it. You heard everything when I explained it to Carlos several months ago.” She sighed & gave the boys permission to leave as she began typing unto her computer again. She needed to figure out what had happened & was planning to inspect the scans & pictures she had made of the Mark. She sighed deeply, as a robin sang just outside her windowsill. Perhaps it was time she’d do a video-call with her parents, which she had postponed for several weeks by now. Gods know that it was long overdue & maybe they could help her figure out this strange thing. She sighed as the robin continued its song & she poured herself a stiff drink by the window…

“How is my commission doing?” Cruella sneered at the sea-witch who stood before her, as she pulled her coat closer together in the wind that constantly tormented the cliffs at the edge of the town. Ursula stood silent, as she waited for Cruella to give her payment, softly tapping her arm with her fingers as the seconds ticked by. Cruella sighed as she reluctantly offered the fur coat she was clasping to the monstrosity before her, handing it over & wincing when Ursula simply yanked it from her grasp. “This better be worth it, Ursula. Don’t make me regret this, because that is my best coat.” Ursula grinned, the smile nearly bisecting her face, as she began to stroke the coat before replying. “Oh, Cruella, my dear. Have I ever let you down? Aren’t my contract fail-proof? One way or another, my clientele always gets what they want. As for your commission, the first phase has begun. But I do need more wolfs bane to keep it going, otherwise it’ll peeter out over the course of the next weeks.” Cruella sneered, insulted at the arrogance of the old witch, daring to ask her to do dirty jobs for her. But she needed this, it was so necessary for her plans. So she set pride aside, took a deep breath & begrudgingly agreed. “More will arrive tomorrow, a whole crate if the stuff. It should be fresh, not that years old dried powder they usually deliver.” Ursula’s grin widened as she petted the coat in her hands. “The fresher, the better, my dear. Your son won’t know what hit him.” She chuckled & slowly slunk away over the edge of the cliff, as she descended the cliff vertically, her giant octopod feelers keeping her routed to the wall as she walked down the craggy rocks. Cruella looked at the unnerving display, sneered a last time before clasping her coat firmly again & walking off back home. She needed this, she could do this. Her boy needed a good punishment for disobeying her & she would get it to him, by any means possible.

Ben looked at Mal in disbelief, unsure if what she said just now had been serious or jokingly. He looked her in the eyes & saw the flicker of green she wore whenever she was being as serious as an accountant on tax-day. He kept silent for a few moments, still hoping she would burst out in “I’m joking!” but the hoped relief wouldn’t come. Eventually he accepted the situation. “Why me though, Mal? Why can’t Evie ask someone else to do this?” Mal kept looking sternly at Ben, which unnerved him more. “Because Evie knows you & knows you couldn’t possible hurt Doug. She trusts you enough to ask such a bold favour, Ben. Doesn’t that say enough about the seriousness of the situation? And believe me, if you won’t do it, Evie has already picked another victim to ask. But he won’t agree.” Ben pondered a bit, wondering whom else Evie would possibly ask. It didn’t take him long to figure out the only other potential candidate. “If it’s not me, she’ll bother Jay, right?” Mal nodded, Ben sighing as she did. “Gods, I can’t let her bother those two. They’ve had enough problems already. If Jay has to do this, I don’t know how it would affect his relationship with Carlos.” Mal answered as she softly placed a hand on Ben’s cheek. “Carlos wouldn’t mind, Ben. He knew the difference between love, lust and a favour repaid. Believe me, you’d wish he didn’t if you knew how he got to know that. He would let Jay do it, perhaps even chime in. But it’s your choice, Ben. I can’t force you to do this. Well, technically, I can –“ she said as she smiled softly, “but I won’t do that. Not for this, ever. It’s one thing to force you to stick your finger in your nose but to force you to fuck your best friend… Not many villains are that cruel.” Ben held Mal’s hand on his cheek as he placed his other on her waist. “Fine, Mal. I’ll think about it. I want to help Doug, I really do, but knotting your best friend… It doesn’t really seem kingly & imagine what the gossip would say if it ever got out.” Mal smiled at Ben’s worried face, as she answered. “Then we’ll make sure the gossip never gets words of it. There are many ways to silence a curious mind, some more subtle than others.” Ben chuckled, knowing full well what Mal meant. “No torturing peeping toms, Mal. If you can manage them to keep their tongue on their own accord instead of through fear of their life, I’d be grateful enough.” Mal smiled as she gave Ben a soft kiss, before leaving him to his thoughts to tell Evie the news.

Chad cursed, time & time again, as he kicked softly against his open locker. “Not now! Anytime but now!” Tourney practice had just begun & he had felt a sudden fever kick in. He groaned, cursing his parents for having made him this way. He groaned even more when the coach told them today they would practice tackles. After just a few tries with Ben, he had sported a raging erection, which strained against the cup he wore. “Why?” He kept groaning internally as the hour dragged on. He could feel the fever get worse as they kept practicing tackles. When Jay had knocked him down, he was sure the tall villain had smelled him. Jay had sniffed when they got up & turned to Chad in surprise. Everyone knew Jay was an alpha, so Chad knew he was fucked. Surely the miscreant would tell everyone & manage to humiliate Chad immensely. When practice ended, Chad dreaded entering the locker-room. The strong smell of sweat & musk assaulted his senses, which the fever had already begun to heighten. “It just kept getting worse & worse…” He thought to himself as he quickly undressed, hoping to disappear in a stall before anyone else saw his erection. Covering his groin loosely with a large towel, he sprinted into the last stall & closed the door behind him. Determined to wait for everyone to leave, he washed the dirt of his body, trying to ignore his erection as best he could. After it hadn’t diminished, he took a long cold shower. Hearing almost nobody else & his erection gone down far enough to no longer be noticeable, he wagered it was safe to come out now. But when he exited the stall, he stood face to face with Ben & Jay. He cursed, they had waited for him. And from the looks of it, they were the only ones left in the locker-room. “So, Chad, how’s the rut going?” Jay smirked, asking the flustered prince who quickly turned a shade of scarlet. Ben looked sternly at Chad, ignoring Jay’s jibe. “How long has it been, Chad?” Chad turned away from Ben, unable to face the crown prince turned king. He knew what Ben meant & dreaded to answer him. “Five years…” Ben looked aghast, as he turned pale. “Five years? And you never told me? Have you ever done anything about it?” Chad tried to ignore Jay’s presence, as he tried to compose himself & answered. “No. They weren’t so bad in the beginning, I could ignore them then. But last year was hell…” Ben shook his head as he planted his hands on Chad’s shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Chad hesitated, as he tried to face Ben. “Because it’s demeaning. I shouldn’t be an Omega, I was supposed to be an Alpha…” Ben sighed, closing his eyes & pulling Chad in a sympathetic embrace. Jay held his tongue & just patted the prince on the back. “I know what you’re going through, man. Carlos’ ruts are bad enough even when I can help. I can’t even imagine how it would be without someone to help you get through it.” Jay didn’t like the prince, not at all but he would be sympathetic of anyone who went through unrequited ruts, no friends or pills to help. Chad was glad Ben wanted to help, but the presence of the two alphas & Ben’s embrace were making his erection return with a vengeance & he tried to push Ben away. But as he tried, placing his hands on the crown prince’s chest, he felt the muscles beneath the smooth skin, smelling the musky smell of Ben, sensing Jay’s overwhelming scent nearby & he felt his resolve fall away, lust replacing happiness. He felt dazed as he took Ben’s face between his hands & gave the brown-haired boy a rough kiss on the lips. Ben, surprised by the action but enamoured by the scent Chad was giving off, didn’t dare resist. They had done this before, once long ago. It was the whole reason this was happening at all & Ben felt guilty. But as he saw Jay slink away with a grin on his face, he knew something was to be done. 

“Chad, please don’t. Please…” It wasn’t as much that he didn’t want to fuck the handsome prince, but he couldn’t risk losing his friendship with him. He felt his own resolve crumble when Chad looked at him with a look of endearment, lust & happiness. Unable to resist the combination of instinct, scent & more-than-brotherly love for the prince, he took Chad’s face & kissed him back. Carefully backing up into the stall Chad had left, he took away their towels, slowly placing his hand on Chad’s butt & moulding them in his hand. He tried to remember the night they had done this before, when they had been curious about their bodies, when puberty had just begun for the both of them. Nothing else but simple masturbation had occurred, but the night had stuck with him for months afterwards. He started fingering Chad, knowing the blond boy wanted nothing else but to be knotted. He could imagine how terrible last year had been, knowing the effects of ruts being ignored time & time again. Chad had buried his face in Ben’s chest, whimpering as Ben slowly began stroking the bundle of nerves just inside of Chad. He continued on for a few minutes, making sure the blond prince moaned for more before he moved on. Slowly turning Chad around & forcing him to the wall for support, he put his own erection against the slick-covered hole, circling it a few times as to lubricate his cock. Slowly pushing in, Ben felt Chad shudder as his scent became stronger. No wonder the blond had been so reluctant to say all this to Ben, seeing how his body reacted to finally being knotted after five years of abstinence. When he slid deeper into Chad, the blond prince almost began to whine, as Ben’s knot began to swell. Normally he couldn’t do this, but Chad had always been such a good friend that simply wanting to help the prince seemed to be reason enough for his body to allow the knot to form. Forcing the knot inside, Ben groaned, his own lust finally growing beyond control. Chad felt the pain surge as the large knot forced its way into him, before finally plopping into place, deep within his ass. Feeling the knot press against his prostate, Chad moaned obscenely as he whimpered & arched his back against Ben’s chest. Ben pushed deeper, beginning to rut the prince who was grasping at the wall for support. Placing his arm around Chad’s waist, he took hold of Chad’s hard cock, slowly stroking the throbbing shaft. Chad, being overwhelmed by the pleasure of the situation, groaned, whispering Ben’s name as he felt the heat of Ben’s body radiate into his own. Rutting Chad faster & faster, Ben knew the blond wouldn’t last long. Already a steady flow of droplets was escaping Chad’s cock. A few more thrusts later & he felt Chad shudder, moaning his name obscenely with his tongue out, clutching at the wall, shooting several loads of semen unto the wall & floor. With his ass tightening around his knot because of the orgasm, Chad pulled Ben over the edge, as Ben came deep within the blond. He groaned, leaning on the spent boy as he sought support against the wall as well. Both panting heavily, Ben tried to sit down, pulling Chad into position to await his knot swelling down. They’d be stuck for at least five more minutes, so they could just as well find a comfortable position to sit in. He tried to steady his breathing as Chad remained silent. “Chad? Are you okay?” Chad nodded meekly, clutching tightly to Ben’s arms around him. “I’m sorry, Ben. I shouldn’t have made you do this…” Chad had always found himself superior to others, so having to rely on someone else to help him now, made him extremely uncomfortable. Even though he enjoyed this, adoring the sensation of Ben’s knot being inside of him, he didn’t want their relationship as friends to become like this. He wanted to cry, not sure why, as he stayed in Ben’s embrace. When they finally could separate, he thanked Ben. “Thanks, Ben… for this. But… please don’t ever tell anyone…” Ben nodded, giving Chad a small hug before he left the prince to get dressed. When he got outside, it was to find Jay seated nearby. “You did it?” Jay looked serious, as he knew all too well how it felt. Ben nodded softly, causing Jay to smile softly as he gave him a pat on the shoulder & left. How was Ben ever going to tell Mal about this? He wasn’t sure if Jay would tell her or Carlos, but he felt the former-villain wouldn’t betray his trust now. The last months, Jay had become trusting of Ben & Ben felt Jay would never tell a secret of his if Ben didn’t want him to. He wiped his face as he tried not to think of Chad & walked to his dorm.

Jay didn’t tell Carlos what had happened between Ben & Chad when he got to his dorm, where the pale blonde was bend over another machine. “It’s between Ben & Chad, it’s not for me to spread around…” Jay thought as he walked up behind Carlos, giving him a tight hug. “What you making, babe?” Carlos smiled, glad Jay was back from practice. “Just an idea I had a few days ago. Ben & Mal told they were looking for magical artefacts, so I figured I could make a duplicate of the machine I made on the Isle to detect magic for them.” Jay winced at Ben’s name, trying to keep his mouth. “How come you’re late, J? Usually you’re back within ten minutes after practice. Took you half an hour today.” Jay tried to ignore the look Carlos was giving him. “Come on, babe, you’re not worried I’m cheating on you, huh?” Carlos grinned at Jay’s banter. “Never, J. Was just curious, is all.” He turned back to his machine, continuing to tinker at it.

Mal dropped the wriggling cricket into the terrarium, letting its singing buddies follow soon afterwards. Ella was still hidden behind the leaves in the far corner, eyeing the crickets hungrily as Mal dropped them in one by one. As the crickets dispersed through the tank, the small obsidian reptile softly scurried after them, careful to keep hidden in the leaves before it struck after them. Happily chomping down on the chirping insects, Ella scurried back and forth, cornering the remaining crickets before finally resting down on her sunbathing rock when they were all eaten. Mal looked contentedly on the hurried behaviour of her former-mother turned reptile, as she turned on the other heat-lamps to increase the temperature so Ella could digest her meal properly. She had been more outgoing & active in her tank the last few weeks, ever since she had grown. Mal took it as a sign that her mother was learning to be sociable & perhaps even amicable. She had pleadingly nabbed at the tips of Mal’s fingers when she had softly caressed the lizard yesterday, so Mal had decided to give her a nice treat. Her mother would probably hold it against her once she was human again, but for now she seemed perfectly happy gobbling the squirming insects down & relaxing in the heat of the red lamps above her. Mal had been careful to fit the terrarium with the best of the best. Even though she felt that Ella hadn’t deserved it, she still wanted her mother to feel beloved & cared for. It was easy to do & not doing it, would only make her less willing to learn about love.

She looked up when Evie walked in, returning from her after-class chemistry lesson. She looked exhausted, slightly dishevelled as if she hadn’t the time to keep herself immaculately fashionable. Which was the truth, as she had spent most of her free hours to catch up on many lessons & learn as much as quickly as possible. She had lamented homework, but after she found out that wits could bring her much further & much higher than looks, she had made an almost complete turn-around. Monday had chemistry, Tuesday geology, Wednesday remained a free night, Thursday saw History of Magic & Friday had become as Homework-Marathon. It had tired even Mal as Evie spent nearly every one of her nights behind her books, busily scribbling notes & writings essays. When Evie had one day shown Mal a new trick with her mirror, discovered in an old syllabus about Mirror Magic, Mal had acknowledged the merit of her studies. She had decided to join Evie in her after-class studies of History of Magic in hopes of finding new ways to refine her powers & use them for beneficial purposes. It had worked, as after a few weeks, Mal had managed to conjure simple objects like pens or paper. Living organisms had proven too much, as when instead of an apple she had summoned the rotting corpse of an of yet unidentified fruit. When it had further began to snap at the pen she had prodded it with, they had decided not to try the spell on living organisms ever again. The thing, which Evie had lovingly nicknamed Mort, was still in its fishbowl where it was seemingly lifelessly rotting along. But the large brick that weighted down the metal plate closing the bowl proved it was very much still alive & kicking. They had decided not to update Fairy Godmother about this & whenever anyone asked about the bowl, they merely said it was a science-experiment. Which it was, as a matter of twisted fact. If anyone found out, at least they couldn’t be held accountable for lying about it. Evie threw down her bag of books & promptly locked herself in the bathroom, spending the next half hour grooming herself, finally leaving the room looking as splendid as she did every morning when leaving their dorm. Mal had become accustomed to Evie’s swift transformations, picking up a few tricks Evie used to quickly touch up her hair & clothes. “How was the lesson, E?” Mal asked from behind her own books, as Evie sat down on her bed to relax a bit. “Pretty good. We learned about chemical bonds today. Nothing fancy, but good to know still. I think I now know what went wrong with your spell that gave us Mort.” Mal looked up at the thing in the fish bowl, which had bubbled when Evie said its name. “I think it likes you, E.” Mal giggled as Mort stirred when Evie went to check on the bowl. She tapped the glass, causing Mort to wiggle closer to the side as she cooed to the rotting thing. “He’s cute when he want to be affectionate.” Evie giggled, causing Mal to raise her brows. “Cute? Nearly bit off the tip of my finger when it chomped on the pencil.” 

“That’s because you were prodding it, annoying the poor thing. If you are gentle to him, he’s just cute.” Evie gently lifted the lid from the bowl & dropped a piece of bread in it, which Mort engulfed huggingly. When the bread at last disappeared from sight with a moist plop & only Mort’s usual gurgling remained, Evie put the lid back up. Mort had tried to escape once & she wouldn’t dare let him do it again. He had befouled her best shirt by deciding to ooze on it then & it had taken three washes to get in back in a proper condition. Evie giggled at the sound as she went to sit back down on her bed. “What did Ben say?” Mal looked up, surprised. “What?” Evie rolled her eyes, repeating the question.” Oh. Well… He said he’d think about it. But honestly, E, why not ask Jay now? I mean, you’d have a faster answer. And he wouldn’t mind doing it for you, because you’re practically a big sis to him.” Evie sighed, fumbling with her Apple-necklace. “I know, M, but I’d just feel too awkward about it if Jay did it. If it can’t be helped, okay, but if there’s a choice, I’d prefer Ben.” Mal shook her head at the stubbornness of her best friend. “Evie, are you sure you want this to happen at all?” Evie sighed. She was not sure if she did want it, especially since Doug hadn’t asked her to solve the problem. He had merely confided in her, but she felt it was her duty to help those she loved & she loved Doug almost as much as she did her three friends. She looked at Mort, trying to decide what to do, thinking about random things to distract her from the puzzle. Then it hit her. “Mal? Might there be, by any chance, a spell for changing people?” Mal closed her book, fearing Evie would ask. “Evie, magic isn’t the answer here. You know that.” Evie nodded, “I know but if I can’t solve it any other way? Is there one, Mal?” Mal wasn’t sure if she wanted to be honest with Evie, but if she lied, Evie would still find a way to take the spell book & read it through. “Honesty above all else, right?” Mal thought with a grim smile, before replying to Evie. “Yes, there is. Actually, there are a lot of them. But most just change people into animals, enchanted furniture, ugly hags, elderly pimps, etcetera… I know only of two spells that can change a persons anatomy without drastically altering their appearance or personality.” Evie jumped up, excited to hear more. “Please, Mal, tell me! I need to know.” Mal sighed, as she pulled the spell book from her bag & thumbed it through. 

“Okay, okay. The first spell is actually one to turn people into werewolves, lycanthropes or other werebeasts. It’s quite complicated & involves a lot of raw magical energy, certain ingredients, moon-phases, … Also, I don’t think we want Doug to transform into some wild animal once a month. The ruts are already doing that.” She flitted the pages several chapters further, before stopping on a marked page. “This one changed people’s personality. I think it could help because I believe that your personality greatly influences the strength of ruts & your status. I noticed a lot of Alphas are hot-headed idiots who act rashly, but most of them are also incredibly strong of either will or body. The same goes with betas & omegas for differing qualities & virtues. So we could try that. But it’s also incredibly specific. Get one thing wrong & they person you hexed will effectively change into their complete polar-opposite, which in Doug’s case could be extremely bad. I don’t wanna hang around a bossy know-it-all like Chad.” Evie looked disturbed when Mal stopped talking, fumbling even more with the chain around her neck. “Oh, Mal, those won’t do. I don’t want either of those things. I like Doug as he is, right now.” She looked heartbroken at the news, as if someone had just stolen her favourite shoes. Mal stood up & swung her arms around Evie’s shoulders. “Cheer up, E. You’ll find a solution. I’m sure of it. Besides, magic never brings anything good if it’s intended solely for selfish purposes.” Evie smiled, knowing Mal was right. She took up her books & seated next to Mal, deciding she better study for the next after-class lesson.

Ursula was pouring down the crumbled wolf’s bane into her cauldron when Morgana entered her lair with her pet-ray. “Ursula, dear, what are you brewing this time? It won’t be any good inside the Barrier, you know that.” Ursula rolled her eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh as she rummaged the shelves for the next ingredients. “Gods, how ignorant can she be? You would swear that instead of the same mother, we’d share the same brain. With it divided all to me & none to her.” Ursula thought as she picked up a bottle filled with dog tongue, personally gifted to her by Cruella, no doubt a memento of her Dalmatian-hunting heydays. “The currents will bring the potion outside of the Barrier, where it will take effect. I can’t cross it, but the vapours can.” Wriggling a single tongue from the bottle, she let it lazily float into the cauldron before her, which was emitting a wave of pale greyish vapour to the waves above. Turning again to look for the jar of wolf’s teeth, Ursula heard Morgana mutter in the adjacent room. “Never speaks to me, thinks I’m less than her…” Again she rolled her eyes, getting fed up with the behaviour of her maternal sister. She had spent the last twenty years in the company of the bore & was getting sick from the constant nagging, complaining, yelling, … Perhaps she needed a refill on her jars of octopods or bottle of invertebrate-teeth. Finding the jar of teeth, she tossed seven into the cauldron, changing the vapour from pale grey to deep purple. She plucked a belladonna-flower from the large vase in the cabinet, plucking the leaves & tossing them into the whirling cauldron. The purple turned almost luminous, as lingering magic was attracted to it as iron to a magnet. “Nowhere near enough magic to make it work, but enough to make it act on will & pass the Barrier when I want it to.” Ursula thought as she saw the rising vapour trail out of her lair, into the fast currents beyond it that plagued the coast of the Isle. Soon the Barrier would fall & she could use her magic to the fullest again. And then, yes, then Ariel & her spawn would feel her wrath. She had not forgotten the pain she had inflicted on her precious babies when Ariel had hit them with Tritons’ trident. The potion she had designed for Ariel had been brewed the moment she could & when the Barrier fell, she had tossed it into the sea & seen it take effect on the waters around. “Ariel is not death yet, but soon she will be…” Ursula cackled as she went over her plan once more, as the vapour of the new hex softly glided through the water & beyond the Barrier…

Smee saw the purple discolouration in the water bubble up from the witches sea-cave near the ship & watched it slowly churn towards the Barrier where it flowed past unhindered. He had made it a habit to watch the sea-caves whenever he could. He didn’t trust those two witches for anything & with his Captain getting extremely hotheaded lately, he had felt all the more worried. Smee loved his Captain, having joined Hook’s crew when Hook was still young & he already old enough to be a father. Hook had been brass even back then, deciding on hunting down, boarding & sinking the largest ships he could find. Indeed, before they had ended up Neverland, Hook had become the most feared pirate-king on the western hemisphere. Captain James Bartholomew Hook, dread of the West, had indeed made his mother proud when he had finally buccaneered the HMS Victoria, then the biggest ship ever build. But here they were now, the Victoria in heavy repair as they awaited the destruction of the Barrier. Smee had been Hook’s first, best & last friend. When younger, he had protected Hook when he still had to prove his worth & Hook had not forgotten it, not even after so many years. Now Hook was in his cabin, updating his maps of the Auradonean coastlines which had changed in the last twenty years. The short time the Barrier had gone, had been spent on rebuilding the Victoria & gathering information about the coasts as they had changed over the past twenty years. Smee turned away from the sight of the cliffs & caves, going down below to check up on his Captain. He knocked on the door, a muffled answer bidding him entrance, to which he opened to oak door & entered the extremely decorated deck. 

As expected, Hook sat pouring over his charts & maps, along with their navigator. “Ah, Smee! Just the man I wanted to see! Come, Smee, come. Oh, the luck we have, my friend.” Hook was enthusiastic, which Smee always found preferable over his usual coldness towards his crew. When he joined Hook at the table, he inspected the changes that had been made. “See here, Smee. An entire swat of coast has been created in-sea, an enormous island raised up above the waves, to make a new state called Seaside. Apparently it is the capital of a kingdom peopled by humans & merpeople. Ruled by Queen Ariel & King Eric, with strong ties to the legendary Triton who lives in the fabled Atlantica. That alone is interesting enough, of course, Smee, but this-“ Hook trailed a finger over a route that had been dotted trailing into the east, off the chart, “This is the pearl of the crux. A trade route with the mythical Atlantis. Of course, it’s much older than Atlantica, which is merely a reflection of the legends as, heard by those merpeople, but it is also destined to hold a most perfect treasure, I am sure. We can’t go back to Neverland, unless we have a genie or fairy, even if it can be reached by boat now, Smee, but I dare bet that Atlantis might have just something of that sort. We are too well known here, wouldn’t you agree?” Smee listened to the enthusiastic rhetoric of his Captain, further inspecting the area of interest. “Why, yes, Captain. Getting there is easy enough if we manage to trail one of the trading ships en route to Atlantis, no?” Hook smiled, fixing his moustache in glee & happiness. “Ah, yes, Smee, you are correct. We trail them for a while, board them, torture the information out of them & go to plunder the city of legends. A finer idea had never existed for one like Captain Hook, truly, Smee.” Hook beamed as he turned towards a portrait of a stern grim-looking elderly woman. “Ah, mother, you’d be proud of your son, if only you could see me now.” Smee nodded in agreement, happy to see his Captain content for the first time in a long while. Not even the repairs of the Victoria had sobered Hook up, but only had depressed him further, delaying his time of leaving this cursed Isle. But they had to wait, wait for the new Barrier to fall. Hook had time & patience, but not an unending optimism. That was Smee’s job, to sober up the Captain & spare the crew of his rage, fury, sorrow & melancholy. Hook had too often thrown men overboard when they had annoyed him during his periods of rage & melancholy. You wouldn’t believe the power one man could wield through a steel hook. The crew had found solace for those long twenty years in being free from the Captain for a while, no longer needing to fear his fury or sorrow. But now the Victoria was afloat once more & Hook again stood at the helm, calling his mates back from their holes & dark homes to join their Captain. Why they came, they couldn’t understand but Smee hand an inkling, suspecting a hint of magic about his Captain. But that wasn’t important. What was important now was to keep him happy & distracted from the on-going repairs. Smee sighed as Hook bend over the charts again, preparing himself mentally & focussing again on the Captain. This was to be a long day…

Yago was reciting his observations to Aladdin, who had them copied down by a scribe nearby as the parrot kept talking. The parrot had been away for days on end, flying far & wide, inspecting the coasts of Auradon & the accompanying kingdoms, before having turned to inspect the Isle of the Lost. “… And the HMS Victoria is afloat again. Repairs are being made as we speak. The sea-caves have become the lair of the sea-witches, as I saw large trails of discoloured water flow away from them. There are several new castles build in the hub, mainly near Dragon Hall. Most of the slums, however, have been cleared. I believe the materials were used for the castles. But most interesting of all is that Maleficent’s old castle is now being inhabited & repaired. I informed King Ben, but he claimed none of this was news to him.” Aladdin frowned at this, wondering why King Ben hadn’t shared this with them, if this was the truth. Ever since a few months, the newly crowned king had kept silent about the going-ons in & around the Isle. Aladdin suspected the boy wanted to make sure he was up-to-date before divulging any information to the other rulers. “Scribe, new note. Letter to King Ben, addressed to him by Sultan Aladdin. Write down. King Ben, greetings from Agrabah, ever your ally…” After citing for a few minutes, Aladdin had the scribe repeat the letter before he send the woman away to send the letter to its destination. Then he turned back to Yago, who was resting in his large cage. “Yago, have you per chance seen Jafar? News about his actions has been sparse, even with my extensive sources.” Yago popped his head from beneath a folded wing, as he thought. “I don’t think so. I didn’t fly close enough to the Isle to look into Dragon Hall. I also haven’t heard anything from my avian friends either.” Aladdin sighed, as he knew it would have been too fortunate. “We need information on Jafar. I do not care about any of the others, seeing how they haven’t actively tried to kill me yet. If he got out, Agrabah would be endangered beyond measure. Even after all these years, Jafar could destroy everything Jasmine & I build up. I wish the old Sultan was still alive.” Aladdin thought back to the wise advice the old father of Jasmine had given him during his first years as new Sultan. “Remember, Aladdin, deeds speak for themselves. Those who speak honey, but act bitter are to be never trusted.” It had been one of the most helpful advices Aladdin had ever heard & had spared him many painful alliances that later turned out to be disastrous betrayals to those who made them. He looked out of the window, over the city sprawling before. Agrabah had grown immense since he had become Sultan. Expanding the Palace’s defensive walls, he had begun a massive renovation project from the Palace outwards towards the city edges. Massive houses huddled near the palace now, as old slums were being rebuilt, free of charge for its residents. It had greatly improved the quality of life, as people finally had enough room to walk through uncrowded streets & vendor-designated alleys where busy markets were ever present. With sewers introduced in renovated boroughs & expanded in old borough, the city had been cleaner than ever. Parks were abundant, as people had free access to great amounts of water. A sea of green roofs trailed away from the Palace, creeping along slums still to be renewed. And beyond the sea of buildings, across several hundreds of meters of still open land, an enormous wall had been erected that kept out the dunes & wind-born sands. Large rows of trees radiated parallel from the wall, into the city & on the other side, into the desert. Aladdin had sought help from the world’s best engineers to create this sand breaker, which had reduced the decay of loam houses to almost nothing. 

Aladdin knew all too well what Jafar would have done, shuddering at that brief period where Jafar had been the master of Agrabah & perhaps the universe itself, before he had bound himself as a Djinn & got locked in his lamp which was destroyed shortly after. That he had been resurrected & placed on the Isle, had enraged Aladdin beyond expectations & he had scorned Auradon’s desire for an alliance for many years. Now, he saw how petty his actions had been. Had he taken the alliance the moment it had been offered, he would have accomplished all of this a decade sooner. But Jasmine had been patient & had kept correspondence with the kingdoms outside of Aladdin’s authority. The fact she had, had propelled their alliance far along when it begun. He had taken care to make sure Jasmine’s wishes came true, working hard to establish natural reserves for wild cats throughout the union. He had taken time to learn about the other kingdoms, learning their problems & how they had solved other problems. Together, they could do so much more than on their own & the Wall was the best evidence of this. Besides the dessert, it also allowed quick registration of immigrants, emigrants, vendors, and caravans… And it helped keeping out the bands of rebels & villains that still roamed the dessert outside of Agrabah. But villains weren’t the worst things out there, as Aladdin’s adventures as a young man had shown him. Defeating a human is easy, but defeating a spirit, well… Aladdin smiled as the scribe returned, sharing she had send the message on the wings of their fastest heron. Aladdin bid her seated as he cited another letter, now to Empress Mulan…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it seems that Carlos has become more than just a regular Omega. But what exactly he is, shall be revealed in the course of the next chapters.  
> Ursula & Morgana still can't stand eachother after twenty years together on the Isle. if anything, their sibling rivalry has increased & widened the fissure between them.  
> Hook & Smee are an interesting pairing imo, bordering between close friendship & a one-sided love-affair. Hook obviously thinks nothing more of Smee than as his best friend & first mate, but Smee's behaviour towards Hook, in all portrayals & movies I have ever seen, seems like a person who is in love with the other & would do anything for them.
> 
> Edit; Added end notes, upped word-count by about 500 & fixed a few errors.


	11. The Past is past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos is changing & Jay knows it, so does Mal. But what they discover, changes a lot. Things in Auradon Prep are about to become a lot more interesting & dangerous.

“So… Jafar’s kid & Cruella’s pup, huh?” Janett nodded at Alice’s comment as she filled in another glass for her wife. “I guess they’ve been close for years by now. You can’t just do a Marking if it were but a fling of short-lived passion.” Alice chuckles, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “You’d know, wouldn’t you? You courted me for months before you dared say out loud you liked me.” Janett shrugged, her face slightly amused. “I couldn’t just blurt it out without showing I meant, now could I?” Alice grins as she drains her glass in a single gulp, setting the empty shot back down on the table. “How long they been together by now?” Janett looked up, recounting the date they had come into her office with the fresh Mark on Carlos’ skin. “Three months, give or take a few days. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I’ve never seen two hands locked tighter than theirs.” Alice chuckled again, remembering all too well their own extensive years together, summed up in the single picture of two hands intertwined that adorned their fireplace. They’d been through much together, as they had rallied around King Adam when he had taken his throne & resolved to root out the villains & cannackers of Auradon. Alice had been raised with the disastrous history of Jafar’s meddling in the affairs & love of her parents, being raised in the Palace of Agrabah with Jasmine as her mother, teacher & confidante while her father Aladdin had become Sultan & begun to renovate the entire city, as a way of giving back to the people. She had taken their good traits to heart, always vowing she’d make them proud. And even though being a former bounty hunter turned head of security of Auradon Prep isn’t much, her parents had been proud none the less.

Alice looked at Janett, who had been been absentminded all day long. She knew what was bothering her, but honestly Alice didn’t understand why is was a bother. A Marking is a Marking, so what if an omega had made the mark on an alpha. Of course she knew it was strange, at the least, but why be bothered about it? She gave Janett a tap on the shoulder, causing the brunette to jump in surprise. “Whoa there, tiger! No need to claw my eyes just yet.” Alice chuckled as Janett relaxed from the surprise. Janett simply looked at Alice with a smile, before she stood up. “I’m going to bed now, dear. It’s been a tiring week & I’m going to need all the sleep I can get. Good night.” Janett had placed a kiss on Alice’s forehead, bidding the raven-haired princess a good night. It wasn’t unusual for Alice to stay up for a few good hours longer than Janett ever did. She didn’t as much sleep & always had too much to do before calling it a day. Bidding Janett a good sleep, Alice watched her walk off to the bedroom, before she brought all her attention back to the screens on the wall behind her. She had a direct connection to the live-feeds of all security-cameras on Auradon Prep. After all, she’d be a poor Head of Security if she couldn’t know within minutes what happened in a case of emergency. When she saw a small figure walk through the shadows of the corridors, right on the sound of her clock declaring it was 1 a.m. she merely grinned & wrote it down in her notebook. “Back out again, right on queue…”

Carlos stalked the dark halls quietly, careful not to make the lightest noise as he placed foot before foot in stealth. He noted the camera’s following his movement, but since they hadn’t ever resulted in him being caught in the act while out, he didn’t pay them any mind more, just considering them décor instead of threat. He had to get out, if just for a few moments, feel the fresh air on his skin & feel free. When he finally reached the exit to the lunch-field, he quietly opened the unlocked door & slipped into the moonlit night outside, keeping to the shadows as he avoided the moonlit areas. He crossed the field, quickly fleeing into the forest edge before he relaxed & started enjoying the night in full, breathing in deeply as he let out a deep sigh. He didn’t know what had been bothering him, but the last three days, he had experienced the urge to run in the moonlight, becoming fidgety & extremely restless when he ignored the urge. When he reached a safe distance from the school, he broke out in a sprint as he rushed through the sparsely populated forest, the trees flashing by as he picked up speed. He went as fast as he could, enjoying the wind on his face & the blood pumping hurriedly through his every vein. He had noticed he didn’t have to watch out for obstacles on his path, as he seemed to easily avoid them without realizing it. He jumped, hurdled & swung himself through the trees, avoiding root, trunk & branches. He looked up, taking in the sight of the nearly full moon above him. It filled him with excitement & a thrill he hadn’t known before as he kept sprinting. He could sense how everything around him was fully known to his subconscious mind. The rustling trees swaying in the wind, trunk creaking & bending, the sap coursing through the forest & making a soft gurgling which sounded like a slow heartbeat, small animals that scurried away before his passing by, far-off calls of various creatures. When he heard a wolf howl in the distance, he stopped dead in his tracks & listening intently. Not knowing precisely why, he felt that howl was important. Listening to a second howl, he was tempted to answer as he let the sound fill his mind. When the third howl followed after, he threw back his head & howled as loudly as he could in response. Sounding almost perfectly like the first howl, it took even him by surprise when a new howl answered his own, pumping up his excitement. 

The wolves were still miles away & he knew they wouldn’t come near Auradon Prep, so he felt it was safe enough to answer again. Throwing his head back again, cupping his hand around his lips & breathing in deeply, he howled back at the distant canines, feeling a tingle shoot through his body as he listened closely to any answer. After a few seconds, another howl responded, closer than any of the others. Carlos felt thrilled, not knowing why, as he stood listening on the tip of his toes. He didn’t have a conscious wish to see any wolves up close, he didn’t feel like becoming chow for them but he nevertheless felt like they shared something, something which he still couldn’t fully describe for himself. After a while, the howls stopped & a dead silence filled the forest, before the usual night-voices came back. The urge having gone, Carlos turned back to the school & walked slowly back, enjoying the forest at night. After a while, he thought he saw shadows rush past at various distances, too far off for even his improved eyes to see clearly. He was at the entrance of the school again when he looked back & saw a pair of luminous yellow eyes stare at him from deep within the forest edge. He knew what it was, but didn’t feel scared oddly enough. Back on the Isle, something like this would’ve send him in a panic to his home. But now, he felt the need to go back & see the animal in its full glory, yet he had been outside for longer than he wanted. Staring back at the eyes until they disappeared back into the undergrowth, he opened the entrance & heard it click shut behind him. “So, whomever is watching me, saw the wolves & locked all entrances behind me?” Carlos thought as he saw the cameras turn to him again, watching his retreat back to his dorm. He gave a thumbs up at the devices & went back to his dorm, not avoiding the light now, feeling as if he had better things to worry about from now on. When he finally lay in bed, he realized just how strange his behaviour had become. Deciding to look into it tomorrow, he watched Jay’s sleeping form in the other bed before he drifted off to sleep.

Jay had noticed Carlos quietly leaving the room. He had been doing it for the past three night, always around 1 a.m. & always returning within the hour. At first he had wanted to find out where Carlos went, but when he hadn’t been able to find the boy after he had walked off into the forest & Carlos had returned safely, he felt it was not his business to disturb. If Carlos needed to go out for a night-walk, Jay wouldn’t stop him. But he would need to tell Carlos, to at least let the pale boy know he knew. Tonight Carlos stayed away for about one & a half hour, but when he came back, the boy felt tense. Jay didn’t stir, listening intently as Carlos undressed & lay down in his bed. Jay could feel the boy relax as he slowly drifted asleep. Jay kept thinking about Carlos’ late return, swearing he could have heard wolf howls just before the boy returned. Carlos was not his usual self, Jay had noticed. Normally the boy was terrified of other dogs beside Dude & Jay was certain that the notice of wolfs oughta have made the boy return in a panic. Jay almost had hoped Carlos would have returned in a state of panic, so that he could have cradled the boy & asked what was wrong. But Carlos’ anxiety-attacks had almost melted away like snow before the sun. For a while now, Carlos hadn’t displayed any of his normal anxieties & it had Jay more worried than any panic-attack could. Panic & anxiety Jay could deal with, but the changes of the boy in the next bed had disturbed him all the more because they had been so subtle & yet glaringly obvious. The boy’s growth-spurt, sudden skill in athletics, increased speed in sprint, steadfastness in confidence, … Jay had noticed these things as if they were shouting their presence, which they were to him. Mal & Evie hadn’t commented on it, but he suspected they knew as well. He was resolved to ask them tomorrow, as he drifted asleep as well, dreaming of wolves & Carlos running among them…

Mal excitedly stopped Jay & Carlos next morning as they met in the hallway. “She grew again!” Mal beamed as she told how Ella had grown a few sizes again, not almost twice her original size. She had already told Fairy Godmother & went directly to them to tell next. Carlos couldn’t be happier for Mal, but Jay had restrained in responding, waiting till the conversation turned to class. He told Mal he needed to speak with her, careful to let Carlos not notice & watched as they remained when Carlos & Evie hurried to their shared class. “What’s wrong, Jay?” Mal looked worried, as she noticed Jay’s tense posture, his lips drawn into a thin line. “Have you noticed anything about Carlos?” Mal grew stern of face, which Jay recognized as her fearing the same question. “Yes, I did, Jay. But I didn’t say anything because you didn’t. I thought that perhaps it was just me.” Jay shook his head as he told of Carlos’ nightly excursions outside & how he had heard wolves last night. “Jay, Carlos would never come near those things. He’s scared enough of regular dogs as is, wolves would send him in a panic.” Mal whispered excitedly as a group of students passed them by. “And yet tonight he wasn’t. He came back, tense, but not in a panic. Mal, something’s happening to Carlos. I’ve been noticing it for the past month now. He’s grown a lot, more than should be possible. I would blame it on a growth-spurt, but growth-spurts don’t add 2 inches in less than a month.” Jay hissed it all under his breath as he took mal by the arm & ushered her into a more secluded corner. “He’s suddenly as athletic as me, able to outsprint me! Me! There’s no way in hell that Carlos de Vil could ever outrun me without either cheating or magic being involved.” Mal grew worried, as she seemed to ponder the observations. “Plus, there’s still this.” He said as he softly tugged down his shirt-collar, showing the small Mark on his neck. Mal gasped aloud, causing a few girls to giggle as they stared in her direction. “Jay… Is that-“ Jay interrupted her, puling the shirt back up, covering the bruise. “Yeah, it’s a Mark. Care to guess who gave it to me?” Mal shook her head, “It can’t be… Shouldn’t be possible, should it? Carlos couldn’t have given you that.” Jay wiped his face as he slumped his shoulders. “There’s more that I could tell you, but that’s not the point. The point is that something is changing Carlos & I want to know why. Can you figure it out?” Mal nodded in agreement as the bell rang, sending the two off to their respective classes; Jay felt better now that the weight of his secret observations had been lightened, hoping that now he could keep his mind to classes.

When Jay stepped out from his last class, a distressed Mal quickly pulled him aside, tugging him to the side of an empty corridor. Jay almost stumbled as she dragged him, before she made them stand in a hidden alcove & started talking. “LYCANTHROPY.” Mal nearly screamed the word, hissing it loudly through her jarred teeth. It hit Jay like a cold wave on the beach, nearly knocking him down into a state of frozen panic. “No.” He managed to gutter the word, nearly a whisper. “I’m serious, Jay. It’s the only spell that fits all the symptoms. I don’t know how far along it has progressed yet, but we need to tell Carlos.” Jay was holding back his own tears as he saw Mal wipe her face with the back of her hand. If he starts crying now, he wouldn’t be able to stop & he couldn’t risk that. When they finally started back to Jay’s dorm, they found Carlos sitting on his bed, staring absentmindedly outside. Jay cautiously sat down by the boy as he spoke, voice trembling as he tried to remain calm. “Carlos… We need to talk.” Carlos turned around, surprised to find Jay so serious & with red eyes. “Jay? What’s wrong, babe?” Carlos twisted himself into a hug about Jay’s shoulders, looking worried into the tall boy’s face. Jay tried to remain calm, drawing on his years of thieving & acting to support him through the façade. “Carlos, Mal & me need to talk with you about… something…” Carlos seated himself properly, a panic fear forming in his chest as Mal closed the door, muttered a few words & warded the room against curious ears. She turned around & joined Jay’s side on the bed, as Carlos stood in suspense. “Carlos, I don’t know if you noticed yourself, but you’ve been acting different ever since you… Marked me.” Jay began, as he fumbled with a keychain in his hands, staring straight at Carlos as Mal held her breath. Carlos nodded as he softly straightened up. “You’ve been acting different from how you used to & even though it’s not a bad change, it got me worried. I know you’ve been sneaking out at night,” Carlos gasped as Jay unveiled his secret, worried what more Jay knew now “and that you return later. But tonight there were wolves out & you didn’t seem to care. Carlos, you’ve been afraid of dogs your whole life. By all sense, wolves should have freaked you out. I had half expected you to return in the midst of a panic attack.” Carlos felt his cheeks redden, how dare Jay patronize him? He was stronger than Jay anticipated, if nothing sudden happened. So what if he didn’t mind the wolves? He liked Dude, didn’t he? It’s not a big change from Dude to wolf. He caught his own thoughts, horrified to realize how he was thinking of dangerous beasts alike pets. Carlos’ head reeled as jay continued. “Well, Mal has been researching her spells for a possible explanation.” Jay took Carlos’ hands in his own, as he rubbed the backs with his thumbs. “Carlos, we think you’re becoming a lycanthrope…” The word didn’t register with Carlos, he had never heard of it before. “What’s that?” He stammered, his voice croaky with suspense as he saw Mal tense up & Jay swallow hardly. “It means you’re becoming a…” Jay sighed out, as he took a breath. “A werewolf.” 

Carlos can almost feel the world fall away around him as the words connect in his mind, sending wave after wave of terrible story, campfire tale, mother’s warnings, … All at once into his conscious mind, drowning out his senses. But as he starts to panic he’s losing his mind, a wandering thought flares up. “I know.” He did know. After tonight, he had felt certain, somewhere deep down, that he was different from before. Why else would wolves follow him so readily & yet not attack him? The voice continued, whispering sweet nothings into his mind. Didn’t he want to run free & wild with them? Hunt with them? Perhaps… Even lead them? “Oh yes, Carlos, you’d be an Alpha. Not some lousy omega whose body can not hide its lust for a strong alpha to mate with.” The voice whispered sweetly, as Carlos sensed the world coming back into focus. Not a second had gone by, but it felt like he had been whirling with emotions & thoughts for hours. He stammered, unsure what to say before he sensed the familiar falling away of all sound & the turning dark of the world along the edge of his vision. Oh great, he was fainting again. The voice was still going on, whispering how he’d be strong, fast, wild, untamed. He would be so much more than he ever could be as simply a human. Carlos felt a shock as a pair of strong arms caught his limping body as his mind trailed off. He knew it to be Jay & the love he felt for the tall teen somehow gave him a grip, as he pushed the eager voice down deep beyond his conscious mind; silencing it after layer of layer of ideas, walls & hopes. He smelled Jay, his tantalizing scent filling his nostrils, luring him back to the waking world of the conscious. He saw light again, as his eyes again began to work. In the distance, Mal was calling as Jay simply held him. Carlos could feel himself being pulled into a tight embrace as Jay pressed him against his chest. Carlos struggled to be awake again, as he feebly tried to pat jay’s shoulder. He found composure, as the world came flooding back in, sounds amplifying, scents filling him, light harshly shining. He saw Jay had laid him down, as Mal was seated on the ground next to them. “Carlos, you okay?” Mal sounded unsure, not knowing what to expect from the boy. Carlos tried to think, before settling on a single word. “Cool.”

Mal was obviously taken aback as she drew back in a flash, looking at Carlos like he had just told her strawberries were shite. Jay stared in sheer disbelief, eyes wide open in shock as his mouth fell open. Carlos couldn’t help but grin & chuckled at their reactions. His chuckles soon gave way to reverberant laughter as he started a fit, clutching at his pained stomach while wheezing air & continuing to laugh with himself. Jay & Mal had stepped back, as they were hurriedly whispering between each other. Had Carlos gone mad? Jay thought the boy might have misunderstood, but Mal believed it had driven him past breaking. Carlos heard them, they sounded so thunderingly loud to him he was surprised they thought he couldn’t possibly hear them. When his fit finally died down & he started panting heavily, he stared at Jay before giving a soft smile. “It’s okay, Jay. I didn’t misunderstood.” He drew himself upright, as Jay went back to sit next to him, eyes still wide in shock & disbelief. “You don’t mind?” Jay stammered as Carlos shook his head, intertwining his fingers with Jay’s. “I don’t care what happens to me, Jay. Or why. I don’t think I’d ever stop loving you, even if I were a wolf. Or that you’d stop loving me for the same reason. I have to admit I felt like losing my mind when you told me, but my feelings for you kept me grounded in the insanity that tried to break my mind.” Carlos flushed, ashamed he called himself insane in third person, clearly a sign of insanity in anyone person. He looked at Mal, who had just collapsed on the ground next to him, looking surplussed at the small boy like he was a miracle waiting to happen. “Mal can ward the room, right? So that if I change, I can’t break anything or kill anyone?” Mal softly nodded, she knew she could do that. She could prevent anything breaking, sound leaving the space, and even prevent people from looking inside until a password was spoken. “Perhaps you could even tame me, Jay. I’m sure you’d be the only I’d listen to as a wolf.” He gave Jay a soft smile as he kissed their locked hands. “We’ll find a way to cope, J. We always do.” Jay finally smiled as Carlos finished, a tear welling up from his eye as he drew Carlos closer & gave him a long soft kiss on the lips, cupping the boys neck in one hand. Mal sighed as she gave up trying to understand Carlos’ mind-set. He had decided & he wouldn’t change his mind, she knew that. Best go research those spells then, she thought as she stood up & walked out of the room, leaving the boys alone in a state of sprawled legs & locked arms.

Jay & Carlos started writing down any weird changes they noticed about Carlos’ behaviour. After a long couple of days, they had found that besides a new lust for the rarer meats like bloody steak, Carlos’ senses had increased significantly. After doing a few tests, including a game of “Smell the rutting beta” to a crowd of student halfway on the other side of the campus, during which Carlos had pointed out a dozen people, they had stumbled on their first real problem when Carlos’ rut had begun. It couldn’t be helped. Carlos had nearly overdosed on the oestrogen-pills when they still hadn’t kicked in after three days & when he managed to convince Jay, in a desperate attempt to get relief, to be knotted, they had found it brought no relief whatsoever to the whimpering boy in heat. After an excruciating five days, Carlos had become a wreck. Constantly whimpering & whining, eyes red with tears of pain, lust & sleep-deprivation, his sheets & underwear constantly soaked by an abundance of slick his body kept producing while smelling so strongly their neighbours had nearly broken down his door in their own lust, his rut had finally begun to wind down, as Jay had desperately tried to knot Carlos for the twelfth time that week. It had finally brought some relief as Carlos nearly screamed in ecstasy when it had hit him, his first real orgasm during the rut sending him into tremors of pleasure as he had cum so much due to the rut, that his bed sheets had been soaking wet. When Jay had come to his own senses from the release his own orgasm brought due to Carlos’ empathic climax, he had been astonished to find Carlos asleep amidst an enormous wet stain of slick, sweat & cum while still pinned on Jay’s knot. Though the scene had calmed Jay’s own worries immensely, he dreaded to think how this would be if every rut was as bad as this one from now on. Wanting nothing more than to lie down with Carlos & sleep off his own exhaustion, he gently wrestled himself free once his knot had swelled down enough & started cleaning the room. He had drawn open all the windows as he gathered all the dirty bed sheets, underwear & towels they had carelessly discarded during the week in their efforts to relief Carlos. Pulling a few used toys from several spots, Jay tossed it all in the bathroom before cleaning the toys, ordering the sheets & cleaning up Carlos’ bed after carefully laying down the boy on his own clean bed. The sheets were stained so badly, Jay could hardly imagine how anyone could ever get them out. When he had pulled them off, he had been horrified to notice the matrass had become entirely soaked through in the middle. The large stain of wet had gone straight through to the other side of the matrass. Flipping it on the side, parallel to the open windows, he was determined to let it dry out completely before every letting Carlos sleep on it again. He could sleep with Jay, now that his rut was relieved again. When all was finally cleaned up, Jay opened the door to find an abundance of notes stickered to the outside. Several complaints of students, a notice of nurse Janett, a warning of Fairy Godmother as to why they didn’t tell her the room was warded, a few slips & notes of Evie & Mal, … Jay flipped through them, discarding everything except those of their friends as he went down to fetch snacks for Carlos. He expected the boy would be hungry now that his rut finally went down. When entering the room again with his arms full of snacks, he found Carlos absent from his bed & heard the shower running. Obviously, he had decided to wash up a bit, after having spent almost a week sweating & pouring slick down his thighs. Jay tried not to think about that fact too much, as the scent & feel of the slick had aroused him immensely whenever he had taken to clean Carlos with a damp sponge whenever the teen was calmer. Gods, he thought, how was this ever gonna work out? How could he deal with a werewolf in rut & changing? He wasn’t sure if he was to be thrilled, fearful or plainly excited. Without wanting, his body decided all three were valid options, promptly trying to feel it all in a single emotion that made him run for the toilet as Carlos popped his head out, “Are you okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lycanthropy, while alike, is different from natural-born werewolves in several aspects.  
> Lycanthropy can be contracted, bestowed, hexed upon, ... and effectively turns people into werewolves. While not natural born, they share almost all the same traits safe a few.  
> Lycanthropes can not change on will & can not control themselves while a wolf. They have an aversion to wolf's bane & will always change during full moons.
> 
> A chapter of more exposition as the current situation of the Rotten Four is about to drastically change! One down, three to go!


	12. Forgive & Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cat's out of the bag - or the dog out of its skin, let's say. Jay & Carlos talk about what Carlos' lycanthropy means to their lives together as Cruella finally confesses her plans to Jafar.

Carlos heard the door open, as Jay stumbled in a hurry to the toilet before he had started retching into the porcelain bowl, hair thrown back & held by his free hand while the other hand clasped the edge of the seat in a furious grip. Worried by Jay’s sudden sickness, Carlos nearly stepped out of the shower in a panic as he asked Jay if he was fine, watching the tall boy intently. Jay merely nodded before giving a shaking thumbs up as he stopped heaving, heavy breathing resounding in the hollow echo of the bowl & finally raised his head from the toilet. He knew Jay wouldn’t lie, so he cautiously stepped back underneath the stream of water as he listened closely for another heaving, as Jay now was simply seated limply on the ground at the toilet. When no more retching came after a few minutes, Carlos thought the worst was over for Jay & tried to forget his ill ease as he hurried his shower along. As he finished up, dried off & stepped back into the room, he saw Jay lying unclothed in bed, just a boxer left on, simply staring up to the ceiling. Carlos ignored the lingering aching of his muscles & the soft drops of slick still oozing from his rectum as he walked to Jay & nestled against the tall boy, inhaling his scent & rubbing his hands over Jay’s bare stomach. Carlos hadn’t forgotten to notice he had grown since their arrival, so that he stood taller than before now, almost able to look Jay directly in the eyes when they faced each other which made kissing all the more enjoyable. Jay simple lay an arm about Carlos as he drew the boy closer, forcing him almost on top of his chest, as Carlos tightened his grip & nestled closer in response. Jay sighed as Carlos waited for a response, unsure what to say before he finally spoke. “How are we gonna get through this, C?” Carlos felt a pang of sadness, as he felt like he had disappointed Jay, not done his best to make Jay proud. Carlos didn’t speak, fearing Jay’s reaction if he was honest, because he was secretly thrilled about becoming a werewolf. Of course he didn’t like the changing-part, but somehow he felt it would be less painful than he’d have feared before. Jay drew Carlos closer as he placed Carlos’ head on his chest while rubbing his bare back with his hand, making circling motions of Carlos’ shoulders & trailing his fingertips over Carlos’ freckled skin. Carlos wasn’t wearing anything yet, as he had stepped out of the bathroom merely to grab underwear & he felt the towel slipping away as he moved closer to Jay, now nearly lying on top of Jay, his legs intertwined with Jay’s. He could still feel the heat of his rut linger beneath his skin, as Jay’s touches were electric to him, sending ripples of attention through his still rut-oriented subconscious mind. He hoped it’d never be as bad again, as he had feared it’d never stop. Unable to sleep because your body is aching in pain, ignored lust & growing pangs, Carlos couldn’t think of a worse torture right now or ever again.

Jay let Carlos lie there for a good hour before he felt Carlos move, the boy shifting to sit on Jay’s lap & looking him straight in the eyes. “I’m not scared. Are you?” Jay couldn’t answer, he felt, as he didn’t want to worry the boy, but his lips rebelled as he hoarsely replied in a shake voice, “I’m terrified, Carlos. I don’t know what will happen to you & it terrifies me.” He righted himself, parallel to Carlos as he swung his arms about the boy’s waist, fearing the boy he loved would never return if he let him become a werewolf. “I don’t know which would be worse, seeing you in pain & panic or seeing you afraid as a wolf in a state of frenzy.” Jay felt the onset of the tears he had ignored the past day, prickling in the corner of his eyes as he tried to focus on keeping his breathing level, pushing down the feelings of ill ease that had been growing ever since Mal had hissed that dreadful word mere hours ago. Carlos merely placed a hand on Jay’s back as he caressed the boy’s long hair with the other, combing it through & laying it about Jay’s shoulders. Jay hugged Carlos tightly as the boy shushed him, his soft voice near & sweet gentle touches combing through his hair & unto his bare shoulders. Jay felt strange, being comforted for once, as he let Carlos continue on, comforting him. He was more accustomed to being Carlos’ saviour & being the one to comfort the small boy who was cooing him right now like a mother did a babe. Carlos didn’t stop stroking Jay’s hair, even as Jay finally let the tears flow & started sobbing unto Carlos’ bare chest, for the first time in his life letting the boy see him as weak as this. Jay felt useless, weak, for allowing this to happen to Carlos, as if he could somehow stop this curse from manifesting. He knew he couldn’t stop it, but he felt he ought to try & do more, that he should have been wiser with his three wishes, should have kept one for situations like this. “Jay, I’m not afraid. I know it’ll be alright.” Jay looked up at Carlos, vision blurry from the tears still running down as he stared questioningly. “You know why, Jay? Because I’ll still have you. And nothing could make me happier than that, even if I am becoming a werewolf.” Jay felt a giggle burst forth as he grew annoyingly happy at the boy’s comforting words, which somehow sounded truer to his ears than his own worries did. They didn’t proclaim their love for each other very often, but hearing Carlos say it like that made the situation indeed seem like just a stupid problem & not a major danger. Jay kept on crying as Carlos stopped talking & started cooing him again, combing his hair & gentle caressing the bare skin of Jay’s back & chest. For this moment, as Carlos sat on Jay’s lap while Jay softly sobbed, everything was still fine…

But nothing is fine, nothing at all! She thundered her way into Dragon Hall, her fury trailing a dark shapeless cloud of shadow behind her very steps, as people darted away from the street in her passing by. They knew her rage was unbridled when furious, even worse than Hades’ tantrums, so they knew better than to cross her in any mood as foul as this. The doors nearly flew free from their hinges as she kicked them open with enough force to kill a rhino, cracking the wood where her pumps hit & making nails shoot from the tortured hinges like bullets fired from a barrel. The day was almost there & still they weren’t any closer to undoing the Barrier, as it remained buzzing & whining on the far edges of the island in its perfectly circular circumference. What the hell were Jafar & Ursula thinking with waiting so long? She grabbed a servant girl who tried to dart into another room when she saw Cruella enter, swinging the girl just by the nape her neck as she spewed into the servant’s face, lips drawn back & teeth bared like a beast. “Where the flying hell is Jafar, you useless girl?!” She snarled as the girl hesitated, grinding her teeth together before the tip of the servant’s nose as she felt her patience with the wretched creature slip. Struck with shock, the girl only managed to whimper which made Cruella’s fury tip over the edge. Flinging the girl into the corner of the room like a ragdoll, she took out her whip from her coat as the girl was scrambling back up & she was about to lash the servant when a powerful hand with a grip like a wrench closed around her wrist, stopping her upright swing halfway through. “I’m right here, Cruella. No need to disfigure the pretty little thing.” Cruella turned to Jafar, surprised to see him in his Grand Vizier costume, clutching to his staff as he released Cruella’s wrist from his grasp. She hissed at him, before turning to the girl who was hurriedly scampering away. She watched the girl flee as Jafar turned to her left & opened the door to the throne-room. Cruella followed him as he bade her seated, before she had enough of this charade. “Why the hell are you waiting so long, Jafar? The damn Barrier should’ve been destroyed days ago!” Her fury forced its way into every syllable, making the T’s sounds like scuffs of arrogance while the S’s hissed like dessert serpents. 

Jafar didn’t reply at her comment, merely turning the corners of his lips slightly skyward as he placed his hands together before the tip of his nose, intently watching at her over the backs of his hands. “Good things happen to those who wait, Cruella. No need to worry, the shield will fall as promised. We’re just waiting for the arrival of a very special guest, one who will do all the heavy lifting for us.” His voice rolled from his lips like honey unto satin, as he kept his eyes unturned from Cruella’s rage-contorted face. Cruella scoffed, as she knew whom Jafar was talking about, but she was certain they would never show. Unless they had a trump card in their sleeve, someone with that much power could never be persuaded or tricked to destroy the Barrier. She chuckled, a terrible sound which made shivers run down the spines of the servants listening in on the scene from all manner of hiding places & cracks, who all drew back in horror at the woman. Jafar didn’t move, staying still as a statue, merely watching Cruella as she sat fidgeting in her seat. “In a few days time, Ursula will play her part, Cruella. She’ll finish her work, call the one we need & take down the Barrier. That will be the moment you can go free to hunt down that wolf-pup you call a son.” Cruella stopped moving at the mention of Carlos, as Jafar placed his hands in his lap & watched her face dawn with realization. “So you know, do you? Did Ursula tell you? Stupid bitch…” 

Cruella spat at the name, hissing through her teeth as a bullet of phlegm hit the floor with a loud echo, before she smiled. She looked at Jafar, relaxing into her chair as she started dusting off her coat, before squeezing the Dalmatian-head on her scarf in a giggle. “Oh, it’s a good plan, isn’t it? Finally I’m making the boy useful, for the first time in his life. It will be heaven when he changes, becoming better than he ever was. And when I find him & after I kill him, I’ll skin him. So that he can finally make a contribution to my life, by granting me the best fur I’ll ever want. Oh, I only hope that none of his scars change along into his wolf-fur. I’d hate to see burn-scars branded upon my planned asset.” Jafar scowled at the woman, disgusted to hear her declare her intentions so blazingly, so unabashed. To skin your own child after changing them in a beast, simply to get a nice fur. By no means was Jafar ever a nice man, but this was too sickening even for him. He spat at Cruella, as he clutched his staff & rose, towering over her as his shadow eclipsed her figure. “ Cruella de Vil, you are by the far the foulest, most incredulous & spiteful woman on this accursed Isle!” He exclaimed, raising his staff high, its ruby eyes glowing with dark intent, before he forced it down, the sound of it connecting with the floor echoing into the castle for minutes. He glared at the woman before him, who merely grinned at his display & started stroking the fur she was wearing. She stood up, her coat trailing after her, as she made her way to Jafar, her hips swaying, hand placed on her hip. She slithered up against him, as she noticed his potbelly had gone, a consequence of Jafar’s decision to take over command & get back into shape after decades of bodily neglect. She trailed her arm against his, as she whispered softly in his ear. “Well, Jafar, now that you’re a cobra again instead of merely a scaleless lizard, how about we discuss this further in private?” She hissed the last word, as she drew back & hooked her hands about Jafar’s hip, forcing the Grand Vizier to move into her embrace. She kissed him, ignoring his foul odour as she kept in mind why she did this. Because her boy had been naughty. And because her fur-collection was missing a single coat…

Ursula looked up at the elderly man who was standing on the prow of the ship. She wondered why the useless nitwit called her, especially because she knew he loathed her & her sister, fearing they’d take away his beloved Captain. Smee never was one to be subtle, as Ursula had noticed during their various dealings over the past twenty years. The idiot was in love with Hook & he never even realized it, even after this many years together with him. She scoffed at the ignorant plump man as she finally spoke up, her voice trailing strongly up to the bowsprit. “So, then, Smee, what do you want from me now? What can you offer me, old man, that I don’t already have?” Smee shook tip to toe, as he tried to remain calm. He didn’t know why he was so anxious now, as he had made deals with Ursula before. Granted, that was before she had become a sea-witch again, but that couldn’t be it, could it? He swallowed as he dropped the payment into her hands. She caught the small item, clutching it in her hands & rubbing it intently with her thumb as she determined its worth, seizing up the memories behind it & estimating the power it could yield for her. It was a peculiar thing, she admitted, but the power behind was what mattered and this item had such history & such memories behind it, why, it could drive some of her best work almost completely on its own. She glared up at Smee, cowering on the prow, shaking with cold & fear, as she wondered how he ever got his hands on something as precious as this. She stowed the payment away, plucked up her own exchange & tossed it up at the waiting man. He fumblingly caught it, as it arced through the air, right in his hands. 

“Now, remember, Smee, if it works, I’ll be back for my interests. And it will work, mark my words, it always works.” She cackled as she sank below the waves again, leaving the old man to his own thoughts, doubts, fears & hopes. Smee inspected the bottle of pale golden liquid, hoping she was right & it’d work on his Captain, finally take his mind of this entire planned trip. He didn’t like all this talk about going back to Neverland, raiding Atlantis & attacking Seaside. Why couldn’t his Captain be content with just sailing the “Jolly Roger” around the world, visiting exotic places & plundering hidden treasures? He shakingly stowed the bottle away as he made his way back below deck, cautiously & silently opening his Captain’s hut door. He crept inside, careful not to wake his Captain who was sleeping deeply in his bed, covered in heavy satin sheets which weighted him down, his hands clasped above his chest, his hair immaculately curled & displayed. He looked more like a corpse on display than a man sleeping, before his moustache started twitching in sync with the small pocket-watch Smee kept in his pocket. Muffling the watch by wrapping it in a kerchief, Smee noted the twitching stopped & Hook let out a sigh, as if pleased that the dreaded sound of a ticking clock had been silenced once more. Smee walked over the bed stand, opening the bottle & gently pouring the contents into the cup of water Hook always kept by his bed stand for drinking when he woke up. The liquid diffused evenly, no hint of its colour remaining. Smee held his breath, exited the cabin & breathed out as he made way to his own bed. He hoped it’d work, it just had to.

Chad woke up drenched in sweat, as he felt a wet spot spread beneath his legs. He kicked away the covers, seeing a large pool of slick spreading out from his ass, as his erection twitched. He sighed, throwing himself back down, ignoring the aches his rut initiated. He had hoped it wouldn’t come, but that’d have been too easy of course. At least it wasn’t as bad as the last one, since he nearly didn’t feel the pain at all. Last time his rut had kicked in before Ben had knotted him, he had been whimpering in pain even before the first night had begun. That he only now woke up from the overflow of slick, beginning of the aching & the dull pain his lasting erection brought, told him that Ben had helped him indeed, more than he expected or dared hope. It had been nearly two months, and his rut had begun later than expected, but he felt that Ben’s knotting of him would help him with at least the three next ruts. He had early on learned how to expect his ruts, their intensity, duration and so on… This one would hardly be noticeable and it’d take at least three ruts before he’d start experiencing discomfort again. He closed his hand around his throbbing cock as he dug up some toys from his bed stand, inserting a crooked butt plug in his wet hole, which eagerly let it slip in as his body ached for some relief. He could just as well make sure he’d come a few times before changing his sheets & going back to sleep, seeing how tomorrow was Saturday & he had no obligations to uphold. He thought about Ben’s knot, how they had rutted in the shower stalls, how Ben had held him & whispered sweet words to him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to face Ben next time without cheeks red of shame, but he needed this. He needed to moan Ben’s name, to desire his cock within him again, to feel him come deep within, perhaps even claim him… He came with a loud moan, as his throbbing cock spurted a few loads of cum onto his stomach, while the butt plug was being smothered by his tightened anal muscles. He could almost imagine how it was Ben’s cock buried within him, how he would milk it, force ben to fill him up again… he kept jerking, as his erection held on, kept thinking of Ben & wishing to be all his…

Facilier shuffled his cards again, hoping that perhaps a third try might bring different outcomes, but he knew better after so many years. Still, it couldn’t hurt to try, he thought as he started dividing the cards into piles again, before shuffling them into order & placing them one by one on the table, their backs faintly lit by the lone candle he had put up in his office. He hadn’t gone home after the first try, as he usually did after a long day of trying to make these miscreants of children into even worse miscreants than their parents. He revealed the first card, the Hermit. So far, still the same. Fear, suspicion, treason of allies in the near future. The second card was flipped, revealing the Sun. Again, still the same. Fortunes lessened, gainings dimmed, possessions stolen. Facilier sighed, before he flipped the third card, which he knew would be the Queen of Swords, a sign of malice & bigotry, of a person trying to bend others to her will. He flipped the fourth card, next to last in the row, which revealed the Ten of Cups, which unveiled the target of the Queen, the good house of the Querent, of Facilier. He knew the last card, but flipped it nonetheless, revealing at last the King of Wands, the one who shall stop the Queen, return what was stolen. Facilier was not a fool, so he wouldn’t try a fourth time. The cards spoke clearly to him, as they told him someone would betray them, try take all what was rightfully theirs, before they would be stopped by the rightful heir of order. He knew that heir could only be one person or one family, so he knew that he & every villain on the Isle were going to be betrayed, to be deceived & get everything stolen from them. Facilier pondered by the candlelight, contemplating whether or not he should tell King Ben, or perhaps inform Jafar. But of the villains, he knew better than to trust even a single one of them. They’d sell him out for their own game before he had stopped speaking. He stared at the wall before him, as shadowy shapes lingered at the edge of the light. His friends had come back, after twenty years of absence, lurking in the shadows about him as they had done before he had been dragged to that accursed hell by their own hands as payment for his unfulfilled deals. Their first re-appearance had made him start in surprise, in fear, before their calm stalking had made him try the cards again & he had been delighted to find that for the first time in twenty years, they had revealed him useful information. Though the Barrier had been brought back up, it hadn’t prevented magic from seeping into the Isle again & linger on. He kept staring at the wall, as the candle slowly burned out & left him alone in the darkness, with only his thoughts to accompany him. 

He knew that it wouldn’t be long now, that soon the Barrier would fall, as Jafar & Ursula would do their work. Everybody was expecting it, anticipating on it, preparing for their oncoming exodus & revenge on the Auradonean people. The Red Queen was gathering her thralls within her castle-walls as Jafar was consolidating his allies together in Hell Hall with Cruella’s permission. But what worried him most was the restoration of the Forbidden Fortress by an unseen workforce under leadership of the Horned King. The only Villain who wasn’t consolidating her power was Grimhilde, who had simply locked herself away with some servants in her old castle on the edge of the Hub near the Nowhere. It was rumoured that the old queen was missing her daughter & that gossip had damaged her reputation immensely among the Council & other Villains. There is no forgiving a villain who loves, even if it is her child. Villains don’t love, they loathe & hate & despise… But Facilier could not hate her for that, as he had sentiments for certain kids himself. He always did sympathise with those less fortunate than most…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick chapter today, as I'm extremely tired & can't think of anything to write after the last paragraph.
> 
> Edit; Added a new paragraph, fixed some mistakes, added new dailogue. Word count upped to 3900.


	13. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos' change is growing more obvious, as the wolf within him starts taking over. Jay discovers something new about himself, as Ben finds out about the situation & consults with his father about certain events.

Queen Belle was seated in an elaborately decorated iron wrought chair in the garden, reading a book on the genealogy of dogs, while King-father Adam was tending to the rose-bushes that had started to bloom beautifully, sending sweet fragrances through the large castle-gardens. When Ben had walked out into the garden & gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, Adam didn’t notice, carefully pruning the rosebush he was working on, cautiously cutting away rogue branches as he stooped to smell each blooming rose. Ben walked to his father, after kicking of his shoes & stepping unto the grass barefooted like when he was a small child. The palace gazon always were the softest meadows in the entirety of Auradon & Ben could never dare not enjoy the soft grass. He had lived his entire life in the palace & his earliest memory had been of him running on the gazon, barefooted, enjoying the tickling of the sprites on his soles. Careful not too disturb his father in the cutting of a branch, he waited till Adam righted himself as he had taken a rose between his fingers. “Hey dad.” Adam turned around & beamed at his son, who was still standing small against his own towering stature. “Ah, Ben! How’s school going? You’ve been away for a while without coming home. How come?” He smiled as he gave Ben the rose, who held it gingerly, as Adam turned back to his roses & starting inspecting it for any remaining wild branches. Ben shuffled on his feet, as he followed his father to another bush waiting for pruning. “I have a question, dad. It’s kind of an awkward & embarrassing one.” Adam listened as he inspected the bush, before replying as he cut away a withered branch. “And what might the question be, son? I hope you’re not having girl troubles?” Ben sighed as he wished his father would stop nagging about Mal’s possible bad behaviours. Adam stooped to smell a rose, as Ben spoke again, holding the rose between his fingers & smelling it himself. “It’s about… Well, it’s about... Sex.” Adam coughed, sending Ben upright as he straightened himself, slowly turning to Ben. Adam still smiled, but Ben noticed he had taken to wear his cordial polite smile, which betrayed his father was not feeling too confident. “What about it, Ben? You know you can ask us anything?” Ben reddened as he rolled the question over in his mind, figuring out how to best pose it so that his father wouldn’t fall into a muttering parade of flustered answers. He gave the rose back to his father, who placed it in the empty pocket of his jacket, where its red petals stood out against the royal blue.

“Is it bad if you have sex with someone else besides your partner when you’re sort of in a relationship together?” Ben flushed, his cheeks reddening as he finally asked the question. He could see his father grow tense, as his face became stern, the smile slowly fading as uncertainty crept up in his glance. Ben knew that his father knew about these beta-mechanics, that even though King-father Adam was a high-ranking beta bordering on the alpha-spectrum, that he had to deal with withstanding omega’s in heat. He couldn’t bring himself to ask his mother, who had long ago proven to be a top-alpha, able to sway even the cockiest of alphas to do her bidding. She would either be devastated or thrilled, that Ben would take pity on Chad & fuck the boy to help him in the best way possible. Adam swallowed as he eyed Belle, who was obliviously reading on, ushering Ben a bit further away from her before he started talking. “Well, son, you know I condone cheating on partners. I know it can be hard to ignore an omega in heat, but that is no reason to betray your partners trust. You’re more than your instincts, better than your worst. I have taught you that all your life. I know that sometimes the urges cannot be ignored or helped, but still… Do I even want to know with whom it was you cheated on Mal?” Ben was unsure if he wanted his father to know, but he knew that if he didn’t tell it, his father would be disappointed, believing Ben didn’t trust him anymore. And if Chad’s ruts would be less now, his parents would notice & figure Chad had been knotted. And seeing how they had been close ever since they were young, it wouldn’t take long before King Charming & Queen Snowhite would figure out it was Ben & Chad would not be able to lie in front of them. He figured he could as well tell, seeing how the quickest pain would be the shortest. He took a deep breath, balled his fists & tried to remain calm. “It was with Chad.” 

King-father Adam stood unblinking, almost frozen to the spot as he worried he might have misheard Ben. When he reacted, it was slowly & hesitatingly, as if he feared he might trigger a trap or destroy something precious. “Chad Charming?” His voice wavered, its usual steadfastness lacking as it wobbled around the words & made Ben softly wince in anticipation of an outrageous burst of disappointment or rage. Adam gasped with his mouth, opening & closing it in repetition, reminding Ben of a carp gulping for air, before he said another word. “Ben, you can’t be serious? You can’t mean you have kissed Chad, do you?” Ben smiled awkwardly, not sure how much detail he would give to remain honest with his father, as he shrugged softly before whispering, so his mother wouldn’t hear. “I didn’t kiss him, dad.” King Adam relaxed, as he let out a sigh of relief, before Ben continued with shaking hands & trembling voice. “I knotted him…” Adam groaned, the sound loud enough for Belle to hear, who looked up from her book & glanced over at the pair standing behind arose-bush. “What’s wrong, dear? Found a dead rose?” Adam straightened up, looking at Belle over the bush, as he spoke. “Nothing dear, just a rose that is withering.” He bent down again, looking Ben in the eyes as he whispered. “Ben, why did you do that? I know you two have always been close, but friends don’t have sex with each other. What were you thinking?” 

Ben’s face turned as red as the roses around him, as he cowered before his father, looking hurt & afraid. “I couldn’t help it, dad. Chad’s been having ruts for the past five years & he never found anyone to knot him. I can’t even imagine the pain he had to go through after ignoring his ruts for so long. I mean, you can understand that at least, can’t you?” Adam knew all too well, as he & Belle had to deal with so many people on daily basis, that omega’s in heat were always a possibility. Even though those people made sure they were either alone or protected by strong beta’s, sometimes they’d still get followed or hurt by alpha’s who couldn’t control themselves in their instinctual urge to subdue & claim those omega’s in heat. Even Belle had had difficulty a few times, when male omega’s had presented themselves before her in their countless meetings & alliances between states. Even he had had difficulty at two or three occasions, when an especially strong omega had appeared before them, and he was supposed to be nearly immune to these things. How could Ben, an top-alpha like his mother & still so very young & untrained, ever hope to fully control those urges, especially when it pertained to people he had an affinity to & always wanted to help? He sighed, as he rubbed the bridge of his nose & stowed away the cutters he was holding. He took Ben by the shoulders & spoke sternly, as he looked the boy straight in the eyes. “I can’t blame you, son, not in this situation. But you obviously know better, otherwise you wouldn’t have asked me about this. So here’s what you should do. Tell Mal what happened between you & Chad, while also making sure to Chad that what happened was a one-time thing. You can’t go knotting the boy every time he has a rut, simply to help him. If you want to help him, help him find his mate, an alpha he is worthy to. That’s all you can & should do, Ben. Now, don’t tell your mother about this, or we’re going to have a field-day escaping her prying hands & avoiding her questions, okay?” Ben nodded, happy to hear his father understood, as Adam let go of his shoulders. Ben walked back, as Adam turned his attention back to his roses, Belle following Ben as he walked back inside, a curious look plastered on her face as she determined that Adam needed a good questioning later that night. She knew that her boys had been talking about something serious, even though she hadn’t paid attention to them. And when she & Adam would retreat for the night, she would make sure she’d find out. After all, how could Adam ever hold secrets for her after she had broken his curse & learned to love him for all that he was & no longer is.

Jay woke when he felt the sting of blood welling up from the skin in his neck, drowsily waking up as he saw a dark shape nestled upon him. When he was fully awake, he saw Carlos lying on top of him, with his mouth tightly closed around Jay’s neck, slowly sucking the blood from the bite he had given Jay. Unsure what was happening & not wanting to startle the young boy, Jay simply lay his hand softly on Carlos’ shoulder. At the moment of contact, Carlos drew back from the wound, his lips stained red from Jay’s blood as he turned his face, his brown eyes flashing dangerously yellow with a glare like that of a predator. All at once, Jay could see a shimmer of something primordial fleet over Carlos’ surprised face as the boy realized what he had been doing. Suddenly fully aware of the situation & of what he had done to Jay, Carlos drew his hands over his mouth & tasted the blood on his lips. “Oh gods, Jay, what did I do?” Jay didn’t react, feeling calmer than he ought, especially since Carlos had just bit him & drank his blood. He simply sat upright, drew Carlos close in his strong arms & placed the boy’s lips back to the wound, as he saw the yellow glint in Carlos’ eyes return in the prospect of continuing what he was doing. The bite didn’t hurt, strangely enough, perhaps because they had Marked each other & knew that their bites to each other couldn’t bring lasting damage & only strengthen their bond. Jay felt Carlos close his lips around the bite again, slowly sucking at the wound & taking in the blood that had been slowly extruding. Jay simply held Carlos tight as the small boy drank, unable to stop himself & Jay unwilling to stop what Carlos would try again anyway. This was the wolf in him manifesting, Jay understood & he couldn’t hope to control the beast in its true form if he didn’t allow it to trust him & learn he wouldn’t form a threat. He had been around dangerous animals & people long enough to now that punishment never works, but only strengthens bad behaviour. He knew this was wrong, somehow, but right now Carlos’ comfort was of greater importance…

The boy was whimpering now, as Jay felt Carlos’ growing erection push against his fly, no doubt aroused by his seemingly primal urges. Carlos started softly grinding down unto Jay’s hips as he kept sucking the blood, his mind becoming clouded with lust & a will to claim all that was his. Jay merely focussed on keeping the boy still in his grasp, ignoring his own growing erection, which was being grinded by Carlos’ rotating hips. He suppressed his own feelings, holding back a moan of pleasure as Carlos’ bit him again, softer probably than before as it didn’t draw new blood. He felt a trickle of saliva & blood softly descending from his neck, over his collarbone & down his chest. The pale boy was positively salivating now, hungry for more than he could get at the moment. Jay let the boy loose, lessening his grip & eventually slowly pulling Carlos away from his neck. The boy whimpered as he tried to keep tasting the blood by lapping at the wound with his tongue, until it was out of reach. Facing Jay now, Carlos’ eyes had become startlingly yellow as trails of red saliva stained his lower lip & jaws. He could see Carlos gaining control again as the yellow discolouration faded & the boy grew limp in his hands. “Better now? “Jay whispered, as Carlos merely hugged himself & gave a wry smile. “Yeah, I guess. I’m sorry, Jay. I didn’t mean to-“ Jay shushed him, placing a finger on the boys lips, as he lowered his other hands & palmed Carlos’ erection through his boxers. He knew the boy was still in grip of his lust, so he would have to wind Carlos down to prevent the wolf from taking over again, otherwise neither of them would be able to go back to sleep. Enjoying the moans Carlos made, Jay made sure the boy came slowly, stroking their erections against each other & feeling the boy shudder when his climax finally came. Jay didn’t come, but he didn’t want to, or need to. Carlos drew up against him again after Jay cleaned the boy from his blood, saliva & cum. Settling back down, he felt the boy curl up & quickly fall asleep. Having cleaned his own wound, Jay remained awake for a while longer before drowsiness overtook him as well. He dreamed the same dream again, of Carlos & a pack of wolves running through the forest. But now he could see they were chasing a shadowy figure, which seemed to be composed merely of shades of red, black & white. He woke before they reached their target, but he started to get an inkling of what the dream meant. He turned to look at Carlos, who was still sleeping soundly, curled around Dude next to him.

Jay told Mal what happened that night, when Evie & Carlos had History of Magic together. Mal didn’t seem surprised, as she had in fact expected something like this to happen soon enough. “It’s one of the things you’ll have to become used to. Since you’re his mate, the wolf that’s manifesting inside Carlos sees you as a source of contentment, meaning in this case a source of food as in blood. It probably won’t be a lust for blood every time, but you can expect it to happen more. As for the lust, I guess it’s a mix between Carlos & the wolf. Humans are animals too, so that is probably going to happen a lot more than the blood drinking.” She looked in her Spellbook again, reading the information over again a few times. She couldn’t give Jay any more tips except for reading up on animal training, hoping that would give more useful tips. “This wolf will be more disposed towards you than anyone else, seeing your close connection with Carlos. So you might try, as you did last night, to teach it to trust you. Whenever Carlos looses control to the wolf again, just keep him close & happy. If he is angry, attempt to calm him down or revenge him if it was because someone did something to him. If the wolf sees you defending it, it might come to see you either as its won mate, like Carlos, or like a proper alpha that defends its pack.” Jay nodded as they parted, hurrying to the library where he checked out several books. He had planned to read them over at the lunch field, but when he saw Evie run towards him in haste & with great distress visible upon her face, he knew something was amiss. She skirted to a halt, panting heavily as she tried wheezing & try say what was wrong. “Carlos… Some idiots… Locked him in a closet… tried to help, but they were with too many.” Jay knew this was bad, asking her where Carlos was. When he reached the spot in an empty corridor, where several guys where laughing in front of a locked closet-door, he was horrified to see them opening it. Their smiles faded away as Jay hurried to them, sprinting before them before they even realized he was there. In the closet, lurking in a darkness that shouldn’t have been as thick nor as black as it was, a low grumbling slithered out as a pair of luminous yellow eyes stared out from it, scanning the fodder behind Jay before the eyes rested on him. Suddenly growing fainter, the grumble turned to a nearly inaudible whine as Jay hissed through his teeth. 

“Get out of here. Now!” His voice was sharp as the air of a brisk morning, as he turned to the boys behind him, remaining between them & Carlos as if he was prepared to use his body as a shield. They stood routed to the spot, unable to move as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing, between Jay’s quick intervention & the hateful eyes scanning them alike they were food on a plate. Jay repeated his command, this time his voice was lined with a cutting edge that tore at his own mind & startled the boys into soft stirrings. Staring from the eyes in the closet back to Jay, the boys shrank back even further as Jay’s eyes had taken a sandy colour & his pupils had turned to mere verticals slits in a desert scape, lingering on them as if they had just performed a most heinous crime. Three of the boys scampered away, the beta’s as Jay could smell, while the alpha’s lingered on before he repeated the command a third time, getting annoyed at the stubbornness of these imbeciles of rabble. “Get out.” His voice could cut razors with its edge & the young alphas turned their heels, sprinting out of the corridor as Jay finally turned back to the closet to inspect on Carlos. The darkness seemed to have dissipated, leaving a dishevelled & trembling Carlos shivering on the floor, his arms clutched around his knees as he wobbled back & forth in a state of panic. Jay softly ducked, cooing soft assurances & taking Carlos’ hands, asking if he was okay. Carlos looked at him in horror as he gasped for air between wobbles, unable to produce his voice as anxiety & fear clouded his vision & mind. Carlos could feel the new voice in the back of his mind trying to take over control again. 

A few seconds ago, it had won, taken over his mind & had been ready to pounce on the prey that dared corner him, ready to claw out their eyes & tear out their windpipes through their severed necks. It had been subdued when Jay had jumped in front of them, barely remembering Jay as the one it had been allowed to feed from, being the one that his host was bonded to & held allegiance to. He could not hurt the mate of his host, as it would negatively affect its own chances, fearing it could drive the host to extreme measures & cutting off their supernatural intertwined connection. It wanted to live, to change, to run & be free from the shackles of human petty morality, but it had to have a host. No host if the host killed itself in fright, had to keep the host pleased enough yet subdued enough to relinquish control from time to time. It didn’t know how it knew, but it knew enough as to give way when the time was best. The mate had come, protected the prey, yes, but also prevented the wolf from doing a very stupid thing. It knew that killing the prey would have resulted in the death of its host, now that it thought about it. The mate had protected them both, had thrown its life in the line, earned respect. It was a good mate, as the wolf reminisced, a mate worthy of an alpha.

Carlos felt the voice sinking away, scampering of into a far corner of his mindscape, as he tried speaking again. “They cornered me, after class. Pushed Evie away, threatened to hurt her if she stepped in. Too many for her to fight.” He swallowed, rocking back & forth as Jay’s arms reached around him, steadying him & assuring him he was safe. “I could feel it, Jay. It started tugging at my will as they pushed me to the closet. I could feel it trying to take control. When they shoved me in here, I thought I was back in my mothers fur-closet, nearly panicked.” He looked Jay in the eyes, his own red from tears that were streaming down his face now, trailing salty streaks down his freckled cheeks, dripping from his jawline down unto his closed fists. “It won, Jay. I could feel being pushed behind myself, as if I was just a spectator. It was about to lunge at them when they opened the closet & you jumped in front. It wanted to kill them, wanted to kill you. I screamed, was terrified. But it held back…” Carlos was unsure what had happened in that second, as the wolf hesitated to attack Jay for some reason. Even stranger, when Jay had said his command, it had retreated back into its corner, letting Carlos back in control. But when Jay had turned back to Carlos, he had been frightened to see a terrible change in Jay’s otherwise beautiful eyes. “Jay, your eyes… They changed…” Jay drew Carlos close as he embraced the boy, not wanting to hear it. He knew something strange had just happened with himself but that could wait till later. Right now all that was important was making sure Carlos felt safe & relaxed. Carlos stopped talking, merely clutching onto Jay as he allowed himself to relax in the strong boy’s arms…

When Evie arrived with Mal & Ben, Jay was still straddling Carlos, who was now drifting asleep in his arms, Jay whispered to Mal what happened. Judging from her stunned reaction, it was clear not even Mal had expected the wolf to take full control so easily nor so quickly. Ben, new to the situation, instantly barraged Mal with questions about what exactly was happening. When Mal had pulled him aside & starting frenziedly gesturing & whispering, unwilling to wake Carlos up, Evie had stepped in & helped Jay carrying Carlos up, careful not to wake the boy up. Mal & Ben argued for several more minutes, before she gave up with a frustrated sigh & stormed off to Evie’s & her dorm. Ben let her go, following Jay who was walking Carlos back to their own dorm. When they had arrived, making several heads turn at the scene before Ben told them off, Jay laid Carlos down on his bed & closed the door to speak with Ben. “Carlos is becoming a lycanthrope. We don’t know why, but Mal is going to secure our dorm-room tomorrow so that when the inevitable first transformation occurs, he can’t break anything, break out or let anyone enter the room. I don’t want to send him off, Ben, I want to keep him safe. And Carlos thinks that I might be able to control him when he’s a wolf & after today, for several reasons, I am inclined to believe him.” Ben stared at jay in utter perplexment, before he resigned himself to the fact that nothing he would tell Jay could persuade him to do otherwise. “Fine. I’ll make sure our head of security patrols your corridor herself when Carlos changes, to make sure no one else finds out. For all they know, we’re just keeping an extra eye out for you misfits.” Ben winked as he finished the sentence, sending a chuckle through Jay who couldn’t thank him enough. “And I in return will forever hold my tongue about you & Chad.” Jay replied with a glint in his eyes, as he smirked & gave Ben a tap on the shoulder. Ben tried not to cringe at the comment, but at least he now had Jay’s assurance of silence & that made more than up for this new situation. Gods, now he would have to have a very long talk with Alice…

Alice had expected Ben a long time coming, to be honest, as she said to him when he finally stood at her front door. When he had explained the situation, she immediately understood a lot of the strange things she had observed through the past week. “I noticed someone was sneaking through the corridors & the appearance of wolves on the campus-grounds two nights ago did have me worried, but they haven’t shown up again so I decided against telling you, Ben.” She poured them a cup of tea, as she took out her notebook & started reciting anything in possible connection to Carlos’ change. “You saw this all & you never found it worth to tell me?” Ben asked shocked at her negligence of her duties to her, as he stood gaping at her recital of observations. He glared at her when she whimpered his remark off & simply started laying out a plan of action. “I’ll have the students of all adjacent rooms relocated to a new location, we have some rooms still free in the east-wing. I’ll have guards stationed on the outside of their rooms, inside & outside, with several patrolling the adjacent corridors. I’ll patrol the corridor itself, to make sure no one might guess or painfully learn the truth.” Ben was impressed by how quickly she had grasped the situation & formed a plan around it, figuring out where cameras could work & where live guards were needed for extra safety. After many years in the school as security, she knew every blind spot, having covered all of them except those she knew couldn’t be exploited. She was efficient, quick & ruthless in her tasks, diligently pouring over them & quickly tackling any task she was presented with. He bad her goodbye & left her to planning the entire thing. He desperately needed sleep, to process this day completely…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, I'm treating the wolf within Carlos as a separate personality which is growing stronger & starts taking over in moments of danger & weakness. But, even though it is a wolf at the core, it is not without intelligence. It would not be outside of reason for the wolf to think about its own future & plan accordingly. After all, the point of the wolf within Carlos is to become manifest & eventually control the host's life.
> 
> Having Ben speak about his rut with Chad was a bit of an unexpected turn, even for me. I thought it necessary, as to bring this story-arc to further progress & perhaps even start deciding an end for it. That Beast is a high-ranking active beta instead of simply an alpha was a decision I had in mind from the beginning. After all, was it not Belle who tamed him & proved herself to be stronger than he was, even when he was still a beast?
> 
> Now, in my canon, Adam's years as the Beast were an advanced form of lycanthropy, conjured & maintained by a very powerful sorceress or fairy. In essence, this unknown fairy performed a feat of magic as strong as that of the Blue Fairy & Fairy Godmother, making her a certain force to be reckoned with, even if she might not appear in this story.
> 
> This chapter has a few more words as to compensate for the lower word-count in the last chapter, so we're evened out. We're still holding to the 4.000 words per chapter, with 10.000 words for every 10th chapter. I'm still not sure how many more chapters will follow, but I'm going to kick off very important events in the next two chapters, including a certain ignored request, a planned break-out & an anticipated transformation.


	14. Changes & Adjustment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The friends of the Rotten Four are being assembled, as they are planning to cast a protective ward about them all, preparing to face Carlos' eventual change, while age-old enemies confront each other for the first time in decades.

Carlos groaned in pain, as his headache grew worse from the extra noises he could hear now, while Jay was out looking for headphones to help Carlos block out the noises. Ever since the closet-incident, his senses were going haywire, causing him to hear even the faintest whispers in the adjacent rooms or smell perfumes from yards away, causing his nose to be congested when the sources of those awful scents came too close. Evie had nearly made him vomit yesterday when she had tried to hug him in an attempt for comfort, while she had been wearing a sickeningly sweet perfume that reminded Carlos’ subconscious of rotting fruits. Carlos knew she didn’t do it on purpose & couldn’t have prevented it from happening, but every time she came close to their chambers now, he mentally prepared for an olfactory assault upon his nostrils which made him tense up whenever the door opened. The others had learned their lesson from the incident & were refraining from wearing any perfumes or colognes if they knew they’d see Carlos that day, otherwise choosing solely for subtle fragrances that didn’t make Carlos ready to vomit in response the moment they would near him. It had taken a while before they had found some perfume & cologne that Carlos could stomach & the entire day of smelling those testers & samplers had almost caused Carlos to cry several times, as his body had protested heavily against the worst scents, sending him running to the toilet on numerous occasions & even making him gag before the testers had been opened in the worst cases. One scent in particular had nearly broken him, sending him retching into the porcelain bowl when just a small tear had been made in the packaging & the soft scent had made him instantly nauseous to the point of sending up bile.

Carlos tried burying his face & ears into his pile of cushions, hoping to muffle the sound, which it did only minimally, making him groan even more in disappointment. Through the cascade of indeterminate noises, he could hear Jay’s trademark sprint approaching, sending a sigh of relief through his tormented mind as he focussed on it, trying to ignore all the surrounding fodder of noise which plagued his yet unaccustomed mind. Jay burst into their room, clearly out of breath, holding up industrial grade noise-mufflers, which looked hideous to Carlos’ taste, but he couldn’t be picky now, not with this. Greedily taking the mufflers & sliding them over his ears, Carlos let out a sign of relief as almost all background noises faded away into a soft distant clatter alike a waterfall. Jay smiled as he saw Carlos relax in relief, sitting down next to the boy & giving him a tight hug, ruffling the loose strands of hair sticking out from the muffler’s braces. Carlos giggled, before burying his face in Jay’s chest & thanking the dark & lean boy in a cooing hum, sending a soft purr through Jay’s chest as he simply lay an arm on Carlos’ shoulders & fondled the boys dyed hair. He had run through the entire school, clasping every handyman he could find & asking them if they had mufflers. After nearly a dozen negative responses, Jay had been growing extremely annoyed & concerned in his inability to find any. Eventually, the handyman who had found the Rotten Four the other day in the broken down closet where Carlos had been locked up in, had managed to supply Jay with a pair, asking nonchalantly why Jay needed them at all. Jay had hurriedly answered that if the man wanted to know why, he should take it up with King Ben as he hurriedly sprinted back to his dorm through the mostly abandoned corridors, as lessons had just ended.

He had nearly run over Audrey, stopping only momentarily to bring her back up her feet, apologizing in haste before he begun sprinting again, leaving the princess in an extremely dazed & confused state, which had saved him from any more delay on fulfilling his quest. He had then ran past Mal outside her dorm which she had just exited, who at first wanted to ask what was wrong but let Jay go when he had simply yelled “Carlooos…” as he sprinted past, as a look of realization had spread on her face. The last he had seen from her as he looked back was her running back into her room where he thought he heard a curse emanate before he was past the corner & almost back at his own dorm. He had also noticed one of the cameras following his venture through their corridor, probably the head of security keeping an eye on them per Ben’s request, as Ben had made clear that morning to them. She’d keep an eye out for Carlos & them, for their own safety, as Carlos’ change was coming, even though they couldn’t precisely predict when. Mal had started the wardings of their room that early noon when Carlos & Jay were in class, as no one but her could be in the room when the first wards were erected. She had said she’d return later that day to conclude the second wards, which required the ones needing protection to be inside at the time of incantation as to imprint their essence upon the spell. This would mean that Ben, Doug, Evie, Mal, Carlos, Jay & several other people were going to be in the room, all at once, otherwise the wards would be ineffective. Jay dreaded to have Carlos endure such an onslaught of his heightened senses, as he had made sure Mal to tell the intended attendees not to wear perfumes, take a shower & leave their shoes in their own dorms, to minimize Carlos’ senses from becoming overburdened. She knew the boy had to adjust to the new increase of data into his mind & that could take a while, depending on how flexible Carlos’ brain was in adapting to it.

Jay stopped thinking as he noticed Carlos had fallen asleep on his lap, curled tightly in a ball & grasping Jay’s jersey in his fists, as he breathed steadily. The poor boy hadn’t been able to sleep soundly during the last night, as the increase of his senses had been growing worse & worse the past days. After last night, the extra sound he could hear had prevented him from falling into a proper sleep, waking up every so often due to a loud noise in the distance that woke him. A door creaking, an owl screeching, the wind rattling the roof, … Various things had woken him & the disorderly pattern of haughty ineffective naps he had experienced had left Carlos in an extremely tense, annoyed & whimpering mood by dawn. When the increase of noise in the school had begun as the day had, a headache had set in, causing Carlos to whimper, whine & cry in deference throughout the day, before his confidence had been broken down & he had pleaded, nearly begged, Jay to help him & find a way to stop the noise. Jay had had enough experience with heavy equipment & stealing things all his life had acquainted him with the oddest trifles, thus enabling him to recognize industrial mufflers as the perfect solution to Carlos’ current predicament. He had set out in haste & had failed to disappoint, as usually when it concerned requests made by Carlos. Carefully letting the boy down unto the bed from his lap, Jay walked away in an effort to find Mal & prepare the secondary wardings she had planned.

He found her sooner than expected, nearly bumping into her when he turned the corner, a haughty look of suspense, anxiety & haste crowning her flattering features as she nearly stumbles backwards to prevent herself from crashing into Jay. Jay grabs her, his hand deftly wrapping around her wrist as she nearly touches the ground. “Woah, there, M. No need to fall for me just yet.” Jay joked as Mal rights herself, brushes her clothes into shape & looks with a stern expression at Jay who stands smirking before her. Remembering why she came, she turns to face Jay & holds up her Spellbook. “So, how’s Carlos doing? Is he ready for the second wardings?” Jay shakes his head in a negative response as he steps aside & escorts Mal to his dorm-room. “Carlos just fell asleep & I think it’s best to let him sleep a while before we wake him. He didn’t have a decent night’s rest last night, so I’m glad he’s getting some shut-eye right now.” Mal agrees as she absentmindedly flips through her Spellbook, stopping & reading the pages about Wardings several times, before she closes it when they stop outside of Jay’s & Carlos’ room. “I can place some wards around the door for now before I go & make sure the others are ready. Ben has been gathering the people who should be warned about this all day & has managed to get them to stay in the cafeteria which will be closes for the remaining day. Almost everyone agreed, except Chad who didn’t want to meet Ben.” Jay frowned when he heard this, exclaiming in some surprise as Mal stopped talking. “Why Chad? I mean, the dweeb never wanted anything more than to harass Carlos & me with every opportunity he got. If he finds out about this, he’ll use it to his advantage.” Mal smiled, a twisted smirk with mischief behind it, as she let Jay finish. “Ah, but Jay, you forget an important fact. Ben told me you know something that could make Chad comply with any thing you’d make him do.” Jay looked in surprise at Mal as he remembered the scene between Chad & Ben in the stalls, which happened nearly two months ago. How could he have forgotten about that? He thinks, that perhaps he has because Ben asked him never to tell. And it’s better not to tell when you can’t remember what it was you wanted to tell, he reasons. That plus Carlos’ change had taken his thoughts off from about everything else save schoolwork. “You’re right, I do. But I’m not one to blackmail people into doing stuff they don’t want to. Not anymore, I mean, we’re better than that now.” Jay perplexed himself as he heard himself say it, Mal raising a brow in nonchalant surprise as if she can’t ever believe in seriousness what Jay just said. “You’re willing to protect Chad Charming? The douche who nearly got us kicked back unto the Isle because he couldn’t be bothered to turn his other cheek & forgive us for not being our parents?” Before Jay could reply, she shrugged & opened her Spellbook again, turning to the door they were before. “Whatever, Jay, your choice. I can’t say I like it, but if that’s what you want, so be it. I’m going to ward the door now, so you can go do whatever you want, okay? This isn’t gonna take long, but I’d prefer if no one watches. I’m still self-conscious about big spells at the moment.”

Jay found Chad at the Tourney-field, practicing his tackles on the mechanically animated dummies Ben had supplied the team with after their winning of the cup months before. Not noticing Jay, Chad had kept on practicing as he tackled dummy after dummy, as he hit them square on, nearly toppling them over before the mechanical things jerked back up & nearly catapulted him unto the field. Jay seated himself on the stand, as he casually watched Chad train on, oblivious to his surroundings & any would-be spectators. Jay appreciated the form Chad was giving, as he had experienced first-hand on the field several times when they had practice together. Even though the blond was as cocky as a rooster in a hen house, he had a good stance & knew how distribute his weight in order to effortlessly tackle his opponents. Quite in contrast to what Jay had expected in the beginning of their practices together, Chad had become a worthy opponent for Jay as even he had trouble keeping upright whenever Chad managed to tackle him. Tiring of spectating Chad after a dozen or so minutes, Jay stood up & whistled at the boy who turned in surprise, his focus broken from the dummies to Jay. He could see Chad slump in relief before the blond had sighed & began to wander up to him. “What do you want, Jay?” Pleasantly surprised by the cordial response that lacked its usual sneers towards him, Jay decided that perhaps the blond prince deserved a proper & polite answer. “We need to talk. It’s about Carlos & about your thing with Ben.” Surprised at the mention of Ben’s name, Jay saw Chad’s face grew stern as the prince attempted his usual scowl towards him & Carlos. “I don’t care about you or Carlos, thief. And I ain’t gonna begin about Ben, asshole.” Sighing in disappointment, Jay decided that perhaps a straight-to response would make the pompous prince realize the seriousness of the situation. “I know you & Ben rutted, you prick. And you’re gonna listen to me about what I have to say or the whole school will know, even though Ben made me promise I wouldn’t.” Shutting up & with a pale face, Chad hurriedly looked around, fearing someone might overhear them. Nudging Jay towards the locker-room, he paced towards the entrance.

“What is that you want?” Chad said with a snap as he took off his harness, dumping the protective gear unto the bench before him, as Jay seated himself across when he closed the door. “I want you to attend this meeting Ben tried to invite you for, it’s really important.” Chad scoffed as he removed his jersey & flung it into his locker, scowling at Jay in response to his statement. “Whatever could be so important that Ben needs me to attend a meeting with you idiots?” Jay balled his fists, trying to remain calm as he ignored Chad’s scowling remarks. “Might as well tell you… Carlos is becoming a werewolf.” Chad stopped moving, dead in his tracks, when the word was mentioned. Slowly turning to Jay, his face stricken with a mix between horror & gleeful gloating, Chad spoke softly as if not able to believe what he just heard. “Cruella’s brat is a werewolf?” Chad huffed, as he started to chuckle with the implications of what this knowledge could do for him. “Thanks for telling me, Jay. Now I can make the whole school hate you bastards.” Having had enough of Chad’s attitude, Jay walked up to the prince, punching the locker right besides Chad’s head with enough force to dent it, causing Chad to whelp in fear as he cowered before Jay. “And guess who he might go after the moment he changes into a wolf for the first time? It won’t be the people he likes, arrogant idiot, it will be those he hates. And you made yourself public enemy number one for him, if you hadn’t noticed.” Awed at the possible event of a werewolf mauling him to death, as he could almost perfectly imagine before his mind’s eye, Chad whimpered as Jay retreated again. “And if he doesn’t kill you when a wolf, I would by telling everyone about you & Ben. It would be the end for your precious reputation as Snowhite’s son, dude. You’d become simply a princely omega to be rutted by any alpha who finds you need a lesson in humility…” Jay scowled at Chad, before calming down, as he wiped his face & shrugged his shoulders. “But I won’t, because I promised Ben. So you owe Ben that. Please use your brain, Chad. I’d hate for Carlos to kill you as a wolf, merely because I’m afraid you’d taste absolutely horrible & I don’t want him to go sick because he can’t digest you…”

Chad finally stood up as he realized his own place in this situation, letting out a deep sigh as he assigned himself to his fate, which seemed to hold only two choices. Complacency to Ben or a mauling to death by Carlos. “Fine. I’ll come, but if I ever know you told anyone, I’ll tell everyone about Carlos, understood?” Jay shrugged, pleased enough to see Chad be reasonable as he extended a hand to the blond prince who stood before him, bare-chested & sweating with weariness. “Call it a truce for mutual benefits?” Jay asked as Chad looked suspiciously at the outstretched hand, before Chad took his hand & shook it solemnly before letting go. “Now, if you’d excuse me, I have to take a shower & dress, thank you very much.” Chad said with a malicious undertone, trying to steady his trembling voice from betraying his uncertainty & fear of Jay’s demeanour just now. Leaving Chad, Jay walked out of the locker-room, heading for the cafeteria where Ben’d be waiting with the others. He was sure Chad’d follow the moment he was done as he saw the prince had been terrified with the prospect of being teared to shreds by a werewolf. Entering the cafeteria, he was pleased to see all the others Ben had invited to be present & waiting for the young king himself. Even Mal was already waiting, obviously having completed the door-wardings she had begun when he had left her. After a few minutes, Ben walked in with Carlos by his side, the young boy having his earphones plugged in as an effort to muffle the noises only he could hear. With everyone gathered when Chad walked in a few minutes after Ben & Carlos, the young king finally started with explaining why everyone was there after being assured by Mal that no one from outside could listen in on their conversations within the large room.

Jay had to give it to Ben, he thought as Ben explained the entire situation to the gathered assembly. To be serious & calm, speaking about a situation like this, which could turn dangerous if even the littlest mistake was made & getting people to agree to help, it was something to behold for sure. As Ben explained Carlos’ change, the precautions that were already being taken & would be taken directly after the assembly, Jay saw how most people turned from fear to anxiety to spirited to help in any way possible. To his surprise, even Chad eventually agreed to help as best he could, after Ben had taken him apart & let Chad go with cheeks red & flustered. The only one who was not willing to go aboard with the plan was surprisingly enough Audrey, who he had expected to agree the moment she could, but instead she adamantly refused. “I’m not helping with this, you’re going about it all wrong. You can’t contain a curse as powerful as that & hope everything will go okay. I mean, have anyone on you people ever paid attention to History of Magic? Hexes that are “managed” always tend to backfire.” Ben couldn’t help but agree with her, even though Mal was careful to smilingly point out that they didn’t know what manner of curse this was. “Even if we can’t stop the curse, we can still stop it from resulting in anyone dying, like how the fairies prevented the death of your mother by bending my mother’s curse into another direction instead of trying to negate it. We can try & do the same here, it’s all we’re planning to do at the moment. If I can get the wardings about every one present here, none of us can be hurt by Carlos whenever he changes.” Mal continued her spirited defence for a while, as Jay noticed Carlos had sulked off into a far corner of the room with a pair of headphones tightly locked over his ears. Walking over to him, Jay seated himself & embraced the boy by the waist.

“Don’t worry, babe, we’ll get you safe.” Carlos didn’t respond, even though Jay knew he had heard him. He sighed, afraid that the boy was withdrawing himself from the scene in order to ignore the problem instead of tackling it. When he wanted to stand up again, Carlos’ hand gripped his wrist, tugging him down again before the boy whispered something. When Jay realized what he had said, he suddenly noticed how tense the boy had gotten, with sweat welling up on his forehead & his jaw tightly shut. “It’s coming…” The boy’s voice had been incredibly soft & forced, as if he had trouble speaking loudly enough with yelling. Alarmed at Carlos’ words, Jay tried to get Mal’s attention by waving his arm at her. When she finally noticed, Carlos’ grip on Jay’s wrist was becoming painful, as the boy was balling his other hand into a fist & straining to stay seated. Seeing the look of panic in Jay’s eyes & Carlos’ trembling figure, Mal suddenly realized what was happening. Shoving Audrey aside & hurrying to Jay, she coiled back when she could feel the wolf in Carlos stirring, as if it was a dark shadow twisting behind Carlos’ back, trying to engulf her & Jay to rid it of them. “Jay, get him out! It’s happening, we’ve waited too long! Get him out!” Picking the boy up, who clutched at Jay’s vest as he was lifted into the air & his strong arms, Jay hastily walked over the door, which was opened by Mal from a distance with a spell as she gathered everyone behind her & started the warding without Jay. Doug, Chad & Audrey stood trembling as they realized what happened, while Evie & Ben linked their arms with Mal’s & helped her reciting the spell, hoping that together they could finish it before the Change was complete.

Nearly sprinting with Carlos in his arms, jay stumbled into the forest edge as he made way to the clearing where they had had their picnic before, hoping that if he could get Carlos to a place of happy memories, the wolf might not take full control. The boy had started squirming in his arms, as he started whimpering & whining in pain. To his horror, Jay saw how the boy’s limps were distorting, growing longer & shorter as he hurried to the site. Having finally arrived there, he let the boy go who hit the ground on all fours as he started crying in pain & fear. “Jay, please help me! It hurts! It hurts so much!” Heartbroken at the pleas, Jay crouched, willing to hug the boy as he changed but was beaten back when a strong arm pushed him back, the newly grown claws just barely scratching him as Carlos jumped away from him. Unable to move in shock & horror, Jay watched as Carlos writhed, as his limbs changed slowly, as his palms grew elongated & claws dug into his nail bed before they settled into their new position as he clawed at his clothes, anxious to feel the air on his skin. As the first pieces of clothing were shredded & thrown to the ground, Jay saw how bristly hair was erupting from the freckled skin, as his existing hair seemed to spread from its place to cover his entire body. Finally, there came a transition where the boy no longer seemed barely human, but simply barely a wolf. Finally reaching its climax, the change hit with incredible speed as jaws lengthened, teeth changed & erupted while the cries of pain changed into long-drawn howls. And then Jay looked upon it, no longer Carlos, but…

The way out! Finally! Cruella cackled as she saw Triton rise from the ocean behind the Barrier, a look of fury on his aged face. Ursula seemed to have held true to her worth after all, managing to trick the mythical forefather into coming. “Ursula!” His voice boomed, shook the very Barrier itself as the magically amplified sound waves hit it. Holding on to a railing, Cruella steadied herself as the entire island rocked with the force of the voice that hit it. Ursula simply stood raised above the water, just outside her cave, as Triton approached the Barrier, intend on killing the sea-witch. “Why, Triton, long time no see. How’s the family doing? Finally got around to breeding with those filthy humans, I see? And that after all those long speeches about the purity of your line and all that.” The old witch was cackling, sure to draw Triton’s fury even higher above the surface of his otherwise calm demeanour. “Give me back my grand-daughter!” Cruella couldn’t believe her ears as she heard the old king make his demand. Had Ursula managed to capture one of Triton’s brood? Was that what her pet moray eels had brought her then, what all the sacrifices of the many villains on the Isla had accomplished? Cruella looked intently at Ursula, nervous to see what the old crone would say. “Why, Triton, whatever makes you think I’d ever give back what it rightfully mine? Oh, I don’t know,” she cooed as she rolled out an aged piece of parchment with large elaborate writing on it, “the contract clearly said that I had right on her first-born if the original payment was ever bereft of me. It’s right here, in the really fine print.” Ursula croaked as she underlined a small line of text, which Cruella couldn’t even see from where she was standing looking at it all. “Your contracts have been void the moment you died, Ursula! That was the law!” Triton boomed again, as dark clouds gathered about the Isle, casting a dark shade over the moonlit rocks. Ursula merely cackled as she shook with enjoyment, before she turned back to the business at hand. “Why, my old brother, have you gone senile? I don’t quite look dead now, do I? And even if that little rule hadn’t been circumvented, my dear idiot of a sister was still alive long enough to make certain clauses spring into action. In event of an untimely death of the original contractor, all signed contracts are bestowed upon the nearest living relative until a period of ten years has passed, whereby they are then solidified for eternity. Face it, Triton,” Ursula screamed against the old king from behind the Barrier as she waved the parchment around, “the contract is solid & nothing, not even you, can change that!” She cackled, sending her sides into reverberant shaking, as she stowed the parchment away again.

Triton raged, screamed, and roared his fury as Ursula finished her taunt. And then, his patience snapped, as ancient familial bonds of blood & love overwhelmed his age-old logic. Taking his golden trident, aiming it at the Barrier, he screamed his unending fury, the dancing waves & writhing sky bellowing along with him as booming thunder roared & flashing lightning pierced the turmoiled heavens. From the aged relic, a shining golden beam hit the rippling Barrier with incredible force, sending a shockwave over the ocean surface, propelling enormous waves towards the coast & almost bereaving the dark sky of the weeping clouds, as the beam cracked the Barrier along its entire circumference in a matter of seconds. The wind nearly whipped Cruella over the edge of the railing, from where she stood observing the exchange, as behind her faint screams told of the inhabitants & villains the clash of powers had woken from their sleep. Gripping the weapon with both hands, as Ursula stood watching, gloating at the display of power, Triton bellowed with rage again, his beard flowing behind him in the raging wind, as the Barrier finally gave way & suddenly Triton was no more…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Carlos is finally changing & his wolf-form shall make its official introduction in the next Chapter, where we shall also see what it will do to poor Jay.
> 
> Oh, and Triton is dead. Or is he? But his feud with Ursula is decided, for now, while another feud shall finally begin when Cruella finally leaves the Isle after many years...
> 
> It might seem like Triton's actions were rash & they might be, but considering his impulse decision concerning his daughter when she was young, it would not be uncommon for him to snap in a situation such as this.


	15. Of alliances & friendships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Triton is dead & Ursula once again had the trident. The future is now!

Cruella was stunned, shocked by what she had just witnessed happening before her very eyes as the winds of the raging storm now broke upon the Isle in full force, shaking her free from her stunned amazement. Far below her, slowly reaching the spot that old king Triton had occupied mere moments ago, where he had stood bellowing with rage at the old witch, Ursula stood cackling in the foaming brine as waves lapped around her octopoid body. Reaching below the churning waves with her clawed hand, groping beneath the shallow undulating surface, the fat old sea-witch pulled up the relic that had been in Triton’s hand, the ancient golden-gleaming trident. Struck in awe, Cruella could vaguely sense other people drumming around her as they were hurrying to watch what had just happened in the foamy sea just before their shore, pushing against the rickety railing that had held her & the masses. A grin formed on Ursula’s unbelieving face as she shakingly took hold of the trident, caressed the fine golden staff with her fingers & proceeded to hold it high above her head as if summoning the elements to her will. Lightning loudly crackling above her head, drawn to the artefact, reaching out to touch it, Ursula merely cackled in the howling wind, as she aimed it higher still, as if to let it make contact. “To war!” She screamed, aiming the trident at the ancient collapsed bridge that used to be the Isle’s connection with the mainland, resurrecting the long-sunken stones from their tomb beneath the water, covered by mud & heaved back into their old places. Before their eyes, the villains of the Isle stood entranced as the bridge reformed, brick by brick, as seaweed, shells & clamps rose with them from the brine below. Wasting no time, Cruella shoved her way through the crowd, giving lashes with her whip to those who dared not budge before her. She soon reached her car, waiting for the bridge to complete itself & connecting the Isle, connecting them with the mainland once more. All the while, just behind the coastline, opposite from the mainland-facing side, the “Jolly Roger” was sailing free once more, as Smee had taken the helm & was steering her into the open seas beyond the Isle. Standing at the helm, Hook merely stood laughing as he felt the briny foam splash upon his face, as the wind howled into the eager & greedy sails of the ship & propelled it towards open sea. “Free, Smee! Free! Finally free!”

As Cruella waited in her car, she felt the island tremble as far behind her, in the middle of Nowhere, an enormous column of ghoulishly green & sickly flame spouted into the cloudy skies & parted the heavens in a thundering crash that made a green gleam light up the clouds from above, casting the entire island in its sickly light. “So he’s back too, is he? This is gonna be promising.” She merely grinned as she concluded the statement, as the column of fire kept issuing forth from the old castle in the middle of Nowhere, where the Horned King himself was cackling as well, as he finally drew his strength again from the very powers of Hell, as he saw before him the ancient Cauldron rise from the ashes. Yes, he would finally be free again. He would wage war on the forces of good once more. And this time, he would win by all his rights! But nobody listened or could listen as in the hub, another force was back again, as Jafar finally strode from Dragon Hall, his unmistakably glowing staff fast in his hands as the crowd of villains parted before him, before he stopped at the edge of the still-manifesting bridge. He turned, his staff sparkling as he drew his voice forth alike the very thunder of the heavens above. “Villains! We are free again! And now we have all our strength once more! And we shall assault those who put us here! Auradon shall burn!” The crowd cheered as behind Jafar, the final stones were sliding into place. Seeing Cruella’s car race towards the bridge, Jafar merely stepped aside as her mobile burned its tires over the new bridge, speeding away unto the mainland where she had an appointment with a very ill behaved child. All the while, Facilier remained seated at his window, seeing the procession of villains step behind Jafar, determined to burn down Auradon & rape every innocent life they could find. Which one of those villains would betray them, eventually, he pondered as he watched Ursula glide over the waves, now larger than life, looked after Jafar’s exodus & examined the green column rising from Nowhere. Behind him, he could hear his old friends hiss of the many new deals he could make, of the powers now back at his disposal, but something, for some reason, told him that now was not the time. This wasn’t yet the war they were expecting. It is merely the first strike…

Jay was still rooted to the spot when Carlos’ change was finally complete. Standing before him, slightly larger than a wild wolf, with a white fur dotted with black streaks & dots, its limbs slightly off from their wild counterpart, the werewolf stood panting as if just returning from a twenty mile run. The animal looked exhausted, bewildered & unsure what had just happened to it. When Jay finally moved & made a small twig snap underneath his feet, the beast instantly turned to face him, the yellow eyes fixing on him as it somehow recognized something about the prey standing besides it. It knew this prey somehow, recognized the scent & remembered the face, but could not recall from where. Still thinking, gazing at Jay who couldn’t dare to move, the beast was suddenly thrown on its back when an enormous shockwave knocked both figures aside & blasted through the forest, nearly stripping the trees from their leaves. An enormous peel of thunder was audible far in the distance as the moon was suddenly eclipsed by enormous thunderclouds that were already flashing with lightning within. Yelping from surprise, the wolf leapt back to its feet as Jay still lay dazed, unsure what had just happened. Howling a deep note, the wolf stood still while still gazing at Jay. What was it with this prey that made him hesitate to kill? Why hadn’t it run, was it looking as if it expecting something from him? He could hear the nagging voice in the back of his head, as if someone was trying to scream something important. What was this voice, who- Suddenly a memory, the host! It’s the host that is still present, even after the change. That shouldn’t happen, couldn’t happen. Why was the host still able to scream inside of his mind?

Jay merely watched Carlos as he stood gazing at him, as uncertainty & anxiety clouded its judgement behind those luminous amber eyes. Could he still recognize him, was he still conscious of his life as a human? Jay couldn’t answer, so he tried to call him by name. “Carlos?” The wolf tensed, as its eyes suddenly focussed back unto him, baring its teeth in a snarl, as if ready to pounce him. He couldn’t stop trying know, the beast somehow was afraid of him so it remembered something, didn’t it? He tried again, more softly, subtly, almost cooing. “Carlos, it’s me. Jay.” The wolf suddenly relaxed, as if no longer afraid before it backed up, cowering with a whimper, a sad whine escaping it. Did he recognize him? Was that why he retreated & whined? Was he ashamed of Jay seeing him like this? Jay was terrified, couldn’t think straight, instead relying on his instincts & love for Carlos, as he gently drew himself to be seated on his knees, as he stretched out a hand toward the wolf. “Carlos, please. Trust me.” The wolf was still unsure, but hesitatingly took a step closer, keeping its eyes on Jay as it slowly advanced, inch for inch. Finally placing the back of its snout to the palm of Jay’s hand, it closed its eyes, as if to signal its trust now.

No, the wolf inside screamed. You are no longer in control, not now! It tried to push back the voice of its host, trying to drown it in its rage, but it kept advancing back, pushing the wolf back again. That cursed prey did this! It said that word & suddenly the voice reeled back in, as if defending its child! How was this possible? The wolf howled, tried to scare the voice away, but it stood firm before him, unwavering. Suddenly it found itself in a dreamscape were a firm hand held it by its throat, making it dangle freely above the ground. “We are going to have a talk.” The voice didn’t seem like that of its host, not in here. “How is this possible?” The wolf howled, shocked to hear its own voice as a sound in this void. “Don’t know, don’t care. All I know is that we need a talk.” The voice sounded so strong, so stern, and cold as ice that can cut bark. The wolf squirmed in the grip of the voice, unable to wriggle itself free, whimpering & whining in this clasping prison. “You will never be in control.” The wolf barked at the voice, enraged by it, afraid by what was happening. “Never! I will take this body & I’ll drown you out!” The hand that had its throat suddenly released the wolf, dropping it unto the floor of this strange place. Leaping to its feet, the wolf prepared to pounce before it saw what stood before it. An enormous non-descript shadow loomed before it, flashes of red & white illuminating it from within as a pair of luminous emerald eyes stared right into the wolf, seemed to tear it apart by their gazing. Cowering before the voice, the wolf whimpered & whined, unable to comprehend what was happening. “One day.” The wolf stood still, didn’t understand what the voice meant. “What?” The figure loomed over the wolf again, hovering above it as it pricked a long finger against the nose of the wolf. “One day per month shall you have my body. No more, no less.” The wolf was still cowering, but buffed its appearance as it sensed a way out. “And what if I refuse?” The figure stood upright, filling the entire scene before the wolf, while its voice thundered as if to proclaim its power over the world in which they stood. “Than you shall have no days! You shall fade while the changes will be mine! Choose, you parasite. One day per month or no days at all, ever again.”

The wolf kept its snout against Jay’s palm as Jay slowly let his other hand stroke the shoulder of the creature before him. Amazed by the size of it, Jay realized how the wolf could easily kill him if it wanted to. Even he, stronger than most people, could never hope to defend against the raw power in the body before him. Feeling the fur between his fingers, Jay was amazed to find how soft & long it actually was. Nearly three inches tall, the wolf would seem to be a lot smaller if its fur wasn’t as long. It reminded Jay of how Carlos always seemed smaller than he was if he was not working on machines or his clothes. Was the wolf similar, but the opposite way around? When he touched the shoulder firmly, he saw the wolf open its eyes again, but this time it was not a pair of amber eyes that stared back at him, but bright emerald eyes, Carlos’ eyes. “Carlos, do you remember me?” The wolf merely nodded, softly, almost imperceptibly, as Jay sighed in relief. Hearing a howl nearby, Jay suddenly noticed the shadowy figures that had surrounded the scene. A pack of wolves was surrounding him & Carlos, gazing at them expectantly. Jay could see Carlos look around, as he mentally seemed to switch a flip & his eyes turned yellow again. He could sense how the new wolves instantly cowered in submission before the werewolf that had taken back control of its form, forcing them to bow before it, as it stood strong in the middle of the clearing. Gazing back at Jay with a look of contempt, amber eyes scanning his relaxed posture & still outstretched hand, the werewolf turned to its new pack & softly walked away into the deeper forest past the clearing. Still unsure what just happened, Jay stood up, watching Carlos & the pack run off into the night as he heard Mal yell from the school.

“Jay, thank god! Are you okay?” Jay shrugged her off as she tried to examine him, see if he sustained any injuries. He merely grunted as she stepped back, before asking him what happened. “Where’s Carlos, Jay? Did he change? Did he attack you?” Jay didn’t want to answer, felt as if he needed time alone, before he remembered the shockwave. “Never mind, Mal. What was that blast just now? It threw me & Carlos to the ground, nearly stripped the leaves from the trees.” Looking at the school now, Jay saw that several windows had shattered & that glass scattered the field & inner corridors, shining softly in the fading moonlight. “We’re not sure. Ben & Alice went to her study to find out, thought that perhaps someone else might be able to tell by now.” She said, as Evie took Jay by the shoulders & guided him inside the cafeteria, which stood silently lit as a myriad of students was gathering while the alarm was blaring. The hubbub of the countless voices, strained with excitement & tense nervous anxiety, nobody knowing what happened, caused Jay to stagger. Supported by Evie & Mal, they reached his dorm-room, where Jay started telling what happened after he sat down unto the bed. Their own dorm-window had not been spared & a fair breeze came in, waving the curtains around as Jay told his encounter with the changed Carlos. Mal was amazed as she heard how Carlos had allowed Jay to touch him, merely walking away when the pack had arrived rather than turn on him. Evie on the other hand couldn’t have expected anything else to happen & was giggling with sheer excitement & happiness as Jay told. “That’s so cool, Jay! You tamed the wild beast & made him remember your love!” Jay couldn’t deal with Evie’s excitement & quietly let her speak as he simply lay down, as a howl of wolves softly drifted to their ears from outside. Mal looked up, a grin forming on her face. “Seems he’s having fun, J. Maybe it’s a greeting or a call to you?” Jay didn’t listen to her, as he focussed on the howling which seemed to fill his chest with a strange longing to run with those wolves, free in the wild nature. Suddenly he felt his bed fall away as his back hit the hard ground beneath him. He blinked in surprise & found himself…

Gone! Jay had simply disappeared before their eyes, vanishing in a sudden puff of red smoke, which then had escaped the room in haste, disappearing into the forest as Mal quickly ran to the window & tracked its path. Had Jay just teleported like her mother had done when she escaped the Isle? But how was that possible? She suddenly remembered Jafar’s history & how he had been the greatest sorcerer ever before he had been bound as a Djinn. Suddenly, she had a very grim idea of what that shockwave meant, as she turned about & began to sprint to Ben’s dorm, knocking aside careless students who were wandering the corridors in confusion. When she opened the door of his dorm, she found Ben shaking to the core seated on his bed, while Alice stood at the window with her face buried in her hands while Janett was gentle comforting the head of security. “Ben, please don’t tell me… It can’t be, can it?” She tried to keep her voice calm as Ben merely stared at her with a blank expression of shock & disbelief. “The Barrier,” he began, voice trembling, his hands shaking as he tried to reach for Mal’s own outstretched hand, “The Barrier is gone & Triton has been killed.” Mal turned pale, sank next to Ben & took his hands in her own, merely rubbing them with her thumbs as she tried to re-assure him. “It’ll be alright, Ben? Your parents will stop them, I’m sure.” Ben didn’t reply, as Mal looked at Alice who had straightened up & had begun calling several numbers. Mal didn’t dare think of what would happen now, couldn’t imagine what they could do if Jafar & the others got their powers back now that the Barrier was down. She hoped Jay was safe, that Carlos would protect him.

She had been driving along the Auradon main-road for half an hour, passing field after field, with wild forests in between them, when she had spotted the pack of wolves in the distance, running parallel to the road, making it easy for her to observe how the leader of the pack was an enormous white wolf with black streaks & dots on its fur. She knew there could be only one explanation for such an odd creature & chuckled as she readied her tool-bag on the seat next to her, before she had stopped the car & took aim at one of the wolves of the pack. The first shot took it out cleanly, as it was flung aside over the grass along the forest edge. Halting to a grind at this sudden death of a pack-member, the other wolves sniffed the air, but the strange beast had instantly recognized her & was now staring at her from a distance. She didn’t care about it, not yet, took aim again & took out a second wolf, coincidentally taking the one directly behind it down with the same bullet. The two bodies were flung against each other as the remaining four members of the pack jumped into the forest for safety. She grinned, as she slung the bag on her back & followed them inside, edging the forest edge at a safe distance until she reached the dead bodies she had just shot. She appreciated the furs, which were nearly perfect safe for a few scars & the fresh bullet holes. Eyeing the forest, she saw a pair of eyes observing from a bush. Careful not to alert the beast, she pretended to clean the riffle while loading it up again, placing it on the correct height before quickly turning & shooting the wolf directly between the eyes. Its unseen body was flung behind the bush, at which a second wolf jumped out and went straight for her. “Stupid creature, I still have a shot left.” She shot the attacking wolf, hitting it square in the chest as it lunged forward, killing it instantly as she stepped out of its way as it kept on flying, hitting the grass behind her with a sick thump. Only two left now, she knew, as she cautiously entered the forest edge, keeping alert to any sounds she could hear. Eventually, she saw the white werewolf some distance before her, merely gazing at her from its clearing, as if daring her to step forward & kill it. She loaded her gun again, discarding the empty shells as she took a step forward, only to hear a panting approach from her right. Quickly turning around, she hit the last wild wolf square between the eyes, forcing its brain from the shattered skull as it flung against her & knocked her on the ground, its blood splattering her coat as she cursed & flung the corpse from her. She stood back up, seeking the last beast again, finding it stood still where it had, unmoved by the scene.

Jay had just risen from the ground, looking hurriedly around & still dazed in surprise by what just happened when he heard the first shot nearby, resounding through the silent forest like a peel thunder. Immediately fearing for Carlos’ life without conscious reasoning, he startled & sprinted towards the source of the sound, as multiple other shots were fired in rapid succession in the same area, each time stopping his heart & making him try to run all the faster. He stumbled through the thick brambly undergrowth of the wild forest, getting tangled & scratched in various bushes as he frantically started searching for Carlos whom he somehow felt to be nearby. Nearly crashing into a suddenly appearing tree & spinning around as not to hit it, he suddenly came in sight with Carlos, who was standing still a dozen or so meter away from him in a relatively spacious clearing, gazing straight ahead of him as he could hear a last shot resound to his far right. Seeing a shadowy figure creeping in the underbrush, he saw the unknown person slowly raise a hunting rifle in their obviously trained hands, at which point Jay’s heart seemed to stop beating altogether. Legs nearly giving away in expectation of what was sure to follow, Jay tried to move or scream but found himself unable to, shocked in horror, as the figure took aim at Carlos who made no move whatsoever, instead merely gazing down at the stranger with a look of patience. But before the hunter could pull the trigger, Jay could suddenly see several other crouching figures stalk up to it from all sides, slowly surrounding the person & cutting off all possible exits or ways of escape. Realizing that Carlos & his pack had deftly lured the unknown hunter in a trap, Jay suddenly couldn’t help but smiling at the pride he felt for his strange lover.

Cruella took aim, breathing calmly in & out as she pointed the riffle at the dead center between the wolf’s eyes, where the fur didn’t need to be preserved for commercial use. Finally, here was the moment she had been working towards for the past months, a way to finally make that deadbeat son of hers useful to her, she gloated. Without warning however, a creeping sensation of dread started to crawl up her spine as she heard a twig break nearby. Slowly raising her head & gazing to her left, she saw a shape cautiously creep up towards her, luminous yellow eyes looking straight at her. Another twig snapped, now to her right, where she could guess yet another beast was stalking up to her. She had been lured in a trap, by her own son who sacrificed six of his pack to finally capture her. “So, you took after me after all, in the end. Sacrificing your own friends to get revenge on dear old mother, I must say I’m almost proud.” She whispered the words softly, knowing he could very well hear her as he finally started moving towards her now that at least six other wolves had surrounded her on all sides. Slowly cocking the riffle, she thought that she could at least take down two more. Choosing her target, she quickly spun around, shooting once at a wolf before strong jaws suddenly seized her by the forearm & tackled her down. Screaming in pain & unconcealed fury, Cruella took out her whip & started lashing in every direction she could, hitting several of the beasts as it penetrated the brush. “You filthy mongrel beast, foul furry vultures!” She screamed as the other wolves finally jumped in, lunging at her & snapping their jaws at her. Whipping the wolves, she suddenly felt a huge weight knock her down on her chest, as Carlos had pounced against her & send her reeling forward. Forcing her to the ground, as she tried to turn around screaming in fury, Carlos set his full weight down on her as the other wolves bit down in her limbs & fought to keep her still.

Jay watched the entire exchange take place, marvelled at the speed with which the wild wolves bit down on Cruella while deftly avoiding her lashing whip, before Carlos had knocked her down & restrained the woman who called him her son. Shocked to realize Cruella had gotten off the island, Jay slowly moved as his approach made Carlos look up with his usual emerald eyes. So he was in charge now, not the wolf within him. Probably this is simply revenge for him, payback for years of abuse & negligence. The other wolves snarled at Jay, before Carlos barked at them in commanding tone, at which they stopped & renewed their attention on Cruella. “So you’re here to watch, are you, filthy brat? No doubt you’re gonna enjoy this, huh, like that father of yours?” Cruella sneered when Jay had come close enough for her to see him, her fury still raging as she still tried to struggle free, as the teeth of the wolfs restraining her cut deep into her skin. Blood was freely dripping from her wounds, filling the air with the scent of metal. Restraining his own senses & trying to calm the rage he felt within him at her, Jay stood tense, waiting for Carlos to finish the job. Carlos, watching him & realizing he wouldn’t stop them, merely whined once to which Jay gave him a soft pat. Turning back to his pack, Carlos grabbed Cruella by the neck & shook, snapping the woman’s neck in a swift motion. Finally falling limp as her heart stopped beating, the other wolves released her from their grip as Carlos merely walked off to Jay. Jay was horrified to see the other wolves start tearing up the corpse before him, as Carlos no longer held them back. Breaking the skin & drawing torrents of flood, they deftly tore down the corpse into a bloody mess, as organs came spilling out from bites in the chest & skin came off from terrible shakings.

Nuzzling against Jay’s hands, Carlos nudged the dark boy away from the scene, wishing to go somewhere else as from the horizon the light of day came rising, slowly shining through the low hanging dark clouds that still engulfed the sky. Stumbling back & tearing his eyes away from the morbid scene before him, Jay started walking & followed Carlos. He had no idea where he was, as he still had no idea how he came to be here just a dozen or so minutes ago. Jay could see now that the wolf before him was beginning to change again, as the light of day hit him through the forest canopy. Stopping a while, turning around & hearing the change take place behind him with sickening sounds & yelps, Jay waited in suspense until finally a shaking voice sounded. “Jay? Could you… help me, please?” Turning back, Jay was relieved to find Carlos standing before him again, but slightly taller than he had been. Naked & unclothed, Jay noticed how Carlos’ old scars had gone now, safe for the Mark on his neck, which stood livid against the pale pristine skin as if it had been newly made. Jay could feel his instincts rejoice at having his mate back, before he silenced them & prevented them from gaining power. When Carlos smiled at Jay, happy to be back human, Jay also noticed his teeth had changed from being somewhat crooked to near-perfectly straight. He couldn’t help but smile back at the pale boy who stood before him shaking, as he took off his vest & wrapped it around Carlos, draping over the boy & covering nearly his entire body. “Let’s go home, Jay. I’m tired…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cruella is dead! Ding-dong! The witch is dead! The wicked witch is dead!
> 
> Seems like Carlos finally got over his fears for her, deciding that enough was enough. Whatever shall happen next? ;D


	16. The World changes all around us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ursula brews up a storm, Jafar is regaining his powers & Hook is finally roaming the ocean again. But as Mal gets unpleasant news, it becomes increasingly clear that nothing is as it was before. The World is changing & no one knows what will happen.

They soon reached the school again as the sun rose higher, having left the feasting canines far behind them, after walking for a good twenty minutes head-on as Jay followed Carlos’ directions. It had been closer than Jay expected & Carlos had remembered the way almost exactly, for Jay had feared they’d be miles off when he & Carlos had met again in that clearing. He still wasn’t any closer to figuring out what exactly had happened to so suddenly leave him in that forest by himself when he had just been in his room talking to the girls. Knowing Mal would probably have a theory or two by now & would have seen what exactly happened, Jay had early on their walk decided it was best not to worry too much, as he kept Carlos steady to prevent the boy from stumbling in fatigue. The boy had been shivering softly when they began their walk & after a few minutes, he had finally complained that he felt cold, clutching at Jay for support & warmth. It was then that Jay had taken off his trousers & boxer, giving the boxer to Carlos to wear as he pulled his trousers back up & took Carlos in his arms with the vest closely wound around him as to keep the boy as warm as possible. Even though he had grown, the boy was still light enough to carry with ease, as they had walked in silence, Carlos having closed his eyes after a few moment yet not asleep. Jay strongly suspected Carlos to be in extreme inner turmoil, most probably in shock after only now realizing he had just killed his own mother in cold blood. Jay couldn’t blame Carlos, not in the least, considering how the boy’s life with Cruella had been solely filled with abuse & neglect of the worst kinds. He remembered all too well the numerous scars Carlos had bore as evidence of Cruella’s concept of punishment, even as they had now faded away with Carlos’ change & were almost no longer visible. Carlos strangely enough remained calm, as Jay had feared he might’ve lapsed into another anxiety-attack due to the events. It had been a long night for them both & Jay was still determined to ask just what exactly had happened the moment Carlos had changed & not attacked him.

They’d been surprised to be stopped by a security agent who asked for their identification, as they tried to enter the school & go to their dorms, plainly ignoring Carlos’ strange outfit & why Jay was carrying the boy. Frustrated with the man’s inability to comprehend Carlos obviously needed medical attention, Jay was about to drop Carlos down & punch the agent in the face, before Mal had come running to them & said it was okay to let them in. Apologizing to them, the agent stepped aside & Mal jumped in Jay’s arms before she checked up on Carlos. “Jay, where have you been?! It’s been complete chaos here! The Barrier on the Isle has completely broken down & the villains have started marching on Auradon!” She hastily checked Carlos’ temperature while talking, asking the agent to help them get him to the infirmary, where a large group of people was being treated for cuts made by the shattering of several windows just hours before. As nurse Janett flitted from patient to patient, cleaning & bandaging cuts, she quickly rushed to their side as she sent one of her nurses to start where she left. “Thank the gods you two are okay! Inside my office, hurry!” Already drawing some curious looks from frightened & hurt students, they quickly brought Carlos into her office, where she asked Jay to place him on the bed she had prepared. Carefully removing the vest & giving Jay a simple gown to dress Carlos in, she took up several items from her cabinet before she started examing Carlos. “Has he Changed completely? Did it take long? Please, don’t skip any details, Jay.” As Jay told her everything he had seen, from Carlos’ Change & his strangely neutral behaviour towards him directly after the Change, Janett was inspecting Carlos’ skin for any lesions or cuts. When Jay finally got to the part where he met Carlos again in the woods, he paused, watching Carlos for approval. Slowly nodding at Jay, the boy softly spoke. “It’s okay, Jay. They should know anyway...” Jay then related how he had found Carlos facing Cruella. Evie gasped as Mal merely sighed, but when he finally told how he had killed her & left her to be eaten by the wild wolves, an eerie silence descended on the group as Carlos tried not to cry & the noises from the adjacent room buzzed in the background. Mal looked shocked, watching Carlos in disbelief as Evie merely walked over to him & held his arm, comforting the boy who was softly sobbing now. Janett tried not to let the information get to her, but she felt strangely unable to do so. She wondered whether Cruella’s death had been the boy or the wolf’s doing. At this moment, she could never know of course, as first changes are never clear-cut & deeds done in that time are always a strange mix between the will of the host & the instincts of the wolf. Concluding her exam & finding Carlos to be in perfect health, she took up one of the flasks she had taken out & poured a glass of its contents for Carlos to drink. 

“Wolfsbane, it will help keep the wolf inside of you quiet until the full moon approaches again. It will lessen the strength of the beast & keep your mind clear & in control. You don’t need to drink it daily, but for the best usage, it is recommended. But since I cannot judge whether or not you or the wolf is the strongest from now on, it is up to your judgement. I shall give Mal the recipe, so she can make it for you whenever I don’t have a supply ready, okay?” Mal agreed, taking the recipe as Carlos downed the liquid, making a face of disgust as it hit his tongue. “Tastes awful.” She took Jay aside as the girls seated themselves next to Carlos, asking if he was okay. “Jay, I need you to keep a close eye on Carlos from now on, especially if a full moon approaches. You said that as a wolf, he didn’t attack you. This might be permanent, but you cannot know for sure. You should talk with Carlos about it, as I’m sure he’ll be able to answer that question. As for you, keep him calm whenever a stressful situation arises, which they will from now on with the current situation. If he gets angry, he might lose control & let the wolf take over to protect himself. See do it that this doesn’t happen & that when it does, you are there to help him or stop him, if need be. Okay?” Jay nodded, his throat extremely dry from all the nerves the situation brought on, to him & Carlos. Carlos was smiling, peeking out from under the blanket he had drawn over himself while rubbing his red eyes, as the girls kept talking to him & distract him from thinking too much about what happened. Jay knew he’d have to keep them close as well, as they could help Carlos relax in ways he couldn’t. He could protect Carlos or protect others against him, but he didn’t know just how good he was in making Carlos feel safe & trusted. If he were to follow the boy everywhere, just to do as Janett told him, he knew that Carlos might feel trapped & untrusted by everyone. And that was the last thing Jay wanted Carlos to feel like, not now that they were in Auradon to stay. He sighed as he thought this, for the coming months would prove to be extremely difficult.

Carlos had soon fallen asleep, as the others made their way to their dorms. Anywhere they turned, security guards were standing, more seeming to arrive at the school with the hour. Soon after the sun had risen, the first students had been called back by their parents, to wait out the inevitable chaos in the safety of family & home. Mal couldn’t help but feel angry about how futile these attempts were in the long run. If the villains would strike, nowhere would be safe & keep them out. But even as she thought this, a loud clamour could be heard as the entire school began to shake as the Fairy Godmother’s voice boomed through corridor & forest alike. “Bibbety-bobbety-boo!” A bright flash of light descended over the school grounds as a curtain of aurora-like shimmering light seemed to envelop it, vanishing off into the distance where it struck the ground deep in the forest. Mal instinctively knew that Fairy Godmother had just created a Barrier similar to the one on the Isle, but no doubt very different in shape, function & behaviour from the one that had kept the villains inside & without magic. She heard Jay mutter an impressed sigh as Evie merely held on to her arm, clutching it as if afraid they could be whisked away & separated any moment. She knew the blue-haired girl was anxious, worried about her mother who had still been on the Isle & of whom she hadn’t heard from for some time now. Leaving Jay to go to his own room, she ushered Evie inside & went to check up at Ella, who was running around frantically in her tank, jumping up & down from the branch in her corner. She looked agitated, probably knew what was happening as she still held her human intellect. “Oh, mom...” Mal pressed her hand to the glass, at which Ella flitted over & pressed her body against it. She had become responsive to such actions in the last weeks, much to the surprise of Mal but not of Evie, who had somehow expected something like it to happen. Picking up the crickets from the cup she held on top of the tank, she dropped a dozen in, more than initially because of how big Ella had become in three months. Almost the size of a small iguana now, she had started to grow subtle spikes all over her body, as the purple in her skin had become much more vibrant. Soon, she might need a bigger tank, but for all her growth, Mal couldn’t be sure if she was learning about love or simply thinking she was & just growing. 

Evie, at her side, had started cooing to Mort again, the undead rotten fruit mash, who had curiously begun to unrot in a sort of way. More solid than he had been hitherto, he was now assuming a solid shape, with clear definition of where the rot ended & the new unrot began. Mal wasn’t sure if she liked the change or preferred the old undead thing, as at least she knew what the old Mort was. Evie didn’t care, obviously, as she dropped in a few breadcrumbs, which the slobbering thing quickly consumed into its still half-gelatinous body with nasty wet sucking-sounds. It struck Mal as curious that, in a situation like this, where a powerful fairy had just erected a barrier to keep out hoards of escaped villains, that they turned to their pets. Doubtless, Jay would be busy entertaining Dude now, probably planning to take the dog to go see Carlos first thing tonight or tomorrow, depending on the news he’d get from nurse Janett. They had all found themselves friends, pets & companions in Auradon, something which Mal would never have either expected or even thought off. “Oh, mom,” she turned her attention back to the lizard in the tank, which was eyeing her curiously, her head cocked as if in question, “What are we gonna do? They’re out, Carlos a werewolf, no way to stop the most dreaded villains from destroying our lives.” Mal sighed, as she let her hand slip from the glass, turning back to Evie, seeing the princess stare out into the sky where the magical aurora twinkled against a blue background. “I’m scared, mom, really scared, for the first time in my life. Not even my fear for you ever held such a terror on me.” Mal fought to keep tears from erupting, as she felt a dread take hold of her heart, fearing for her future in Auradon, a future which had seemed so bright up until today. In the tank, the lizard croaked, a dry puff of breath clouding the glass before it, as it put its forepaws against the glass again. Chuckling at the cute behaviour, Mal smiled & placed her hand back on the spot. As she did so, she could feel something prickle beneath her palm, an electric sort of sensation that surely crept through her flesh. Retreating her hand in curiosity, she was astonished to see a purple afterglow emanate from the glass, behind which the lizard had suddenly changed, ever so slightly. She had grown horns & what looked like the beginning of wings!

“Evie? Can you come look at this, please?” Mal’s voice wavered as she beckoned Evie over to her side, eyes locked on the lizard who was standing still as a rock. Gently skipping over to Mal, Evie looked & silently gasped at the change in Ella. “Oh my, she looks gorgeous!” Evie cooed as she tapped the glass, causing Ella to stir slightly & turn her gaze to Evie. “Are those wings, Mal? Oh, this is so exciting!” Evie was happily clapping her hands, as Mal just stood there, speechless at the glee with which her friend gloated over the lizard. “How can you be so happy? This is bad, no?” Evie looked puzzlingly at Mal, her hands in the midst of an enthusiastic clap. “What do you mean, Mal? Doesn’t this mean she learned something? I mean, that was the only reason she could grow, no?” Mal sighed, only barely convinced by the answer but still worried something else might be at work here. Deciding it best not to add this conundrum to the pile of potential problems & disasters, Mal turned away, leaving Evie to wonder at the newly grown beauty of Ella in her tank. As she sat down on her bed, a knock sounded & Ben solemnly entered the room with a grave expression on his face. “Mal, we need to talk. It’s urgent.” 

Taking her cue, Evie silently mouthed a “We’ll talk later” to Mal as she slipped through the door & shut it behind her, leaving Mal & Ben alone in the room. “Mal, security has decided we should take in your mother. We don’t know how much the escaped villains now about her disappearance, but we feel it is safest if we are to bring her into a high-security environment where she can be watched & protected at every moment.” Mal sighed, knowing she should have seen this coming. Even in her current form, even though larger than before, the people of Auradon still feared Maleficent, as no one had ever really seen the full range of her prowess & abilities. Even Mal didn’t know just where her mother’s limits were, as she hadn’t been able to show them on the Isle & hardly ever talked about her powers, safe for those that were best known. Changing into a dragon, freezing a kingdom into time, hypnosis, wish fulfilment, weather manipulation, … These were known throughout Auradon & the Isle alike, but whether or not that was the entire scope of her powers, nobody actually knew. Mal doubted if even her mother really knew, as she had the distinct feeling that her mother had only honed those powers, which she had discovered through accident & wished to perfect.

“I understand, Ben, but as you can see,” she waved at the tank, “you might need a bigger terrarium.” Turning to look, Ben was amazed to see the change three months had brought. He hadn’t ever paid attention to the progress Ella might have made, but he surely hadn’t expected the lizard to have grown almost ten times in size & to have such changes to become apparent. Her current form distinctly remembered him of her terrifying draconian form, which had filled him with fear when he had been frozen, unable to either protect himself or those he knew. To see it be reflected in such minute form almost took his breath away, as the feeling of dread accompanied it & made him shiver. He almost didn’t dare to break away his gaze, afraid she might suddenly grow to her enormous self again & snap him up in her jaws. Mal sensed his reluctance & placed a hand on his shoulder, softly whispering in his ear. “It’s okay. I don’t think she’d wanna eat you right now. She seems to have taken a liking to crickets.” At this, the lizard in the terrarium flicked her tail as if in offence & scurried off into the ferns behind her, only turning to gaze at them when the broad leaves had hidden her from sight. If you hadn’t seen her disappear into the green, you would seriously question whether there was anything in the tank at all, even tho her purple markings became apparent against the green once you noticed them. The entire scene made you feel as if camouflage was involved while evidently it hardly was. Mal thought about this, eventually reflecting that perhaps some innate magic was to blame. It had been part of her mother’s general nature, even on the Isle, an ability to pass unnoticed until she wanted you to acknowledge her presence. Magical camouflage, Mal pondered, could be a very useful skill indeed to master…

Stirred from his thoughts, Ben reluctantly turned away from the tank to face Mal again, his chest tightened with anxiety & fear. “Well, ahem, I’m glad to see she learned something about love & has grown, both in size & heart so to say… But Fairy Godmother, Genie & several others feel it to be safer if she was kept as securely & far away as possible from any trouble. The last thing we want is for her to be disturbed in her education of love & for the progress she made to become undone…” Mal nodded in agreement, gripping Ben’s shoulders as she went along with his decision. Turning back to the tank, she dropped in a few extra crickets, to ease her mother & assure her. “Don’t worry, mom. I won’t be far away, ever. I love you, okay?” Silently seeming to nod in her green covers, the lizard leapt out, snatching up a few of the crickets before sliding back into the bush. Happy to see her mother at least agreed, she gave a blow kiss at the tank & silently turned back to Ben. Leaving the room for a moment to inform a few people waiting in the corridor, Mal stood silently watching as a few security agents came in, took up the tank & placed it on a large cart in the corridor, wheeling it off to a yet unknown location. Wondering if her mother would ever be the same again after watching the cart being hauled off, Mal clutched the doorpost as Ben gave her a kiss on the cheek, said goodbye & left her with Evie, who was standing only a few feet away. “Don’t worry, Mal, she’ll be fine. This will all blow over & she’ll be back here in no time.” Softly smiling, she guided Mal back inside the room as she closed the door behind them.

Ursula was ecstatic, for the first in decades as she let the waves leap over & about her, finally back in the briny deep she called home. The torrents were carrying her off to Seaside, to a meeting with destiny & chance, determined to finally face the brat who had murdered her in her glorious power, when she had the very oceans under her control. She could feel the stinging kisses of the salt water on her unaccustomed skin, teasing her with memories of her past life before she had been pierced by that bowsprit & death had taken her to the very depths of the abyss, which she could only describe as hell. That haunting place had been colder than anything she had ever experienced, yet its very darkness had burned her alike boiling water or bare flame. She shuddered at the memory of things she shouldn’t possibly could have remembered, ever. Yet she knew, she knew, that the others who had been resurrected have had similar experiences. Jafar had once let slip how his afterlife had been nothing but a constant burning as sand filled his lungs & made them burn for air, as the sands had been busy grating away skin, flesh & eventually bone, before the experience started over and over again… Maleficent too had such memories, but if Ursula’s memories were shudderingly painful & Jafar’s mind-numbingly excruciating, Maleficent’s had been mind shatteringly torturingly horrible. Not once had Ursula ever seen that dark fairy shudder in fear but that one time when the subject of an afterlife had accidentally breached a conversation. She had gone numb, silent, death to the world almost & no one in the room had had the guts to rouse her from the state.

She scanned the sea, scouring the waves with an all-seeing look, her senses transfigured by the power of the trident, able to sense the smallest creature stirring beneath the sands deep below her, sensing the tides, the air, the rise in pressure. She knew the sea, sensed through it & it sensed her. Lurching at her with its full force, it pulled at her mind, ever nagging away at her consciousness, trying to claim it for its own, only kept at bay by the radiant power of the trident in her hand. No, this wasn’t the trident that allowed her to sense so much, it was only the trident that kept her alive while doing this. Had she ever attempted this when she had been just a merperson, she would’ve died within the first half hour, her mind having been torn apart by the currents that formed the will & mind of the ocean itself. Indeed, even Triton himself never dared to use this sense, this ability, that ran through their family, was part of their shared blood. She cursed at her idiotic fool of a brother, wishing it would never have come to this. If only he hadn’t stopped her before Ariel had been born, when she had tried to claim Atlantica for her own, then he could’ve still been alive. She could have ruled the oceans so much sooner, but no, he had to be brave back then & be brave again just hours ago. She whipped up a storm around her, determined to break all defences of that coastal kingdom she was headed to, wishing to drown its every inhabitant in the waves of her fury, to send them to that same abysmal place she had been sent to. Waves roared about her, as they mounted higher and higher, raising her above the racing torrents of water that ripped about her, ready to break on the land it so hated. All the while she cackled, revelling in the power yet sensing something powerful far below…

Jafar had been walking non-stop for hours, the throng of followers steadily walking behind him, hypnotised as they were, ignoring the achings of their bodies & protests of empty stomachs. Jafar loathed this slow going, wished to be faster, but as they had kept on walking, he had felt himself getting stronger. It took him a while to finally realize he had been gaining strength. Only after a good three hours walk, following the coastline where he could keep track on the storm brewing in the distance, had he suddenly begun to get an inkling of what this newfound strength might symbolize. Finally raising his staff in gesture about a rock they passed, he had made it fall apart into dust by his sheer will alone. Astonished to find this simple trick working again, he became eager to test his new power more. Letting a simple drone walk before him, he had waved his staff again & saw how the follower began to transfigure into a dull sheep. Cackling with this revelation, he had begun to waive his staff about, transfiguring his followers into a myriad of fantastical creatures, each next one more horrifying & more powerful than the last. Keeping on, eventually turning back to those he had begun with, he had created before him an army whose like Auradon had never before seen. Again walking to his goal, transforming a luscious bush into an elaborately decorated carpet & having it float before him, he waved his staff again, giving the creatures behind him varied wings, some feathery, some leathery, some indescribable. Taking to the air, he relished in his new-found freedom, laughing shrilly as clouds whipped about him, willed by his powers to whirl around him & his army, keeping them from view as heavy winds blasted the land beneath them, stripping trees from their leaves & blowing down countless death trunks that scattered the coast-line. He smiled, heading onward to his final goal, his subject to subjugation, fair old Agrabah…

Hook had settled down into his deck after a few hours of blissfully standing at the helm of the “Jolly Roger”, eventually having grown somewhat despondent without visible cause. Smee, having handed the wheel to the second mate, had followed his Captain but left him to his solitude in his chambers. After so many decades together, Smee knew when his Captain needed advice & when he needed solitude. Keeping an eye out at the deck door, for an eventual reveal of a perhaps happier Captain, Smee had gone about the deck ordering the crew to their usual chores. The entire crew had been cheerful, finally being able to go back about the seas without anything tying them down. Of course, they all knew, Captain Hook would sooner or later decide for an eventual return to that accursed Neverand, but for now, they had free reign & were singing cheerful shanties as they swung about the sails, tightening or loosening them as need wished. Having taken on decent speed, much faster & smoother than they had hoped, they had soon crossed several dozen miles as the sun had risen high into the sky. Far behind them, an enormous thunderstorm was brewing, its dark tendrils stretching out from where the Isle undoubtedly was & spreading off towards the Far East, where Smee knew Seaside was located. Without a doubt Ursula’s doing, he soon averted his gaze in favour of the wide-open seas before them. The Isle was no longer their concern. Getting worried about the Captain’s absence & prolonged silent stay in his deck, Smee languidly knocked on the door, merely to be responded by a very faint answer bidding him entrance.

“What is it, Smee?” Hook said depressedly, a sigh ending the sentence as he sat slumped at his desk, his periwig set beside him & a hand ruffling through his short-shorn grey hair. Smee paused, disturbed at the scene, as he had entered. His Captain not wearing his wig, letting himself be seen as old & weary? Why, something very obviously was extremely wrong with him if he were to do that. Nearly skipping over, picking up the wig & dusting it off before putting it back on Hook’s head, he pulled up the Captain before the mirror as he tidied his outfit. “Now, now, Sir, no reason to be down. We’ll let the man reign free for a while before we set off to Neverland to catch that dastardly Pan, we will.” Hook sighed, brushing Smee off as he slumped back down into his seat. Not deterred, Smee pulled open the heavy curtains as to let light flood the spacious & elaborately decorated deck. Hook’s chambers was extremely lavishly decorated & cosy, as an enormous range of loot, nick-knacks, mementos & treasure adorned the shelves that occupied every wall, with an enormous single-piece wood-carved bed taking up most of the space just before the window, before which a Louise-desk was standing, littered with charts, empty papers, broken quills & empty ink-wells. Indeed, Hook prided himself on his personal chambers, calling it his sanctum & generally letting in only Smee & the helmsman or navigator. Of the normal crew none may enter, on punishment of death by plank.

“Ah, Smee, it is no use. I feel empty, drained, left out.” Hook sighed as he drew the periwig on the ground, taking of his hook & placing it on a silken cushion. He turned to Smee, a pained look in his eyes as he continued. “I have an emptiness in my heart, Smee, and no amount of entering ships, burying treasure or killing Pan can fill it, I’m sure. I feel something’s missing from my life, something crucial to living a full life, a life lived in.” He stood up, walking towards the window as he threw it open & let the salty air breeze through his deck. “I need something, Smee, something I can not take, claim, steal or make. Something that needs to be given, earned, shared, explained… Can you understand, Smee? Do you know what I’m speaking off, what I’m pertaining to, alluding to?” He looked at Smee again, a melancholy air exuding from his slumped posture as he opened his arms wide, letting his cuffs flutter in the breeze. “I need love, Smee, love. Someone who can love me, let me feel like it’s all worth it. Approaching sixty, Smee, and still utterly & completely alone, on my own, deserted.” He fell back on his chair, his arms limp against his sides as he sighed. Smee, exceedingly worried about his Captain’s confession could think of nothing better but to do the usual thing. “Oh, Captain, you’re just a bit put off. Remember that time on Tabahi? You were like that then & remember how happy you were when you finally skewered the tribal chief who had kept the Baha’i treasure from you?” Putting his finger in his ear & taking the wax from it upon the moustache of Hook, deftly rolling it into shape again, Smee continued as he took Hook’s periwig from the ground & dusted it off again. 

“Why, I remember that in Neverland, when Pan had returned & forgotten who he had been, that stupid Rufio-boy had thrown himself between your blade & Hook’s invigorated self. Oh, that look, my good Captain, wasn’t that look worth dying for? No offense, of course.” Hook sighed, remembering that scene all too well, it having been the last precious moment before he had been swallowed by that damned Tick-Tock when Pan had awakened the damn beast. “Ah, Smee, you might be right, but now I do not feel like keelhauling ships or killing enemies. I feel like searching for, for, for love, by God!” He jumped up, his eyes ablaze with purpose. “Why, yes, I know just what we need, Smee. We need to capture that damned elf Cupid, I say, and torture him into taking away these dreadful feelings. If he doesn’t, I’ll roast his diaper-wearing behind above a nice barbeque, I say!” Grateful to see his Captain back to his old self again, Smee merely sighed as he silently cursed that damn deal…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's becoming evident that Ursula will try to raze Seaside to its very foundations & sweap away the legacy of Ariel & Eric, but I can tell you already that she will be pleasantly surprised when it turns out that Ariels family has more in common with Ursula than either of them had ever though possible. OC's incoming!
> 
> As for Hook, well, being alone all your life eventually makes you dead-tired of life, even as it continues granting you beautiful sceneries, exciting adventures & thrilling escapes. Wether or not Hook will really recover from his "aching heart" will be left to be seen. As for Smee's deal, well, who can guess?


	17. Of the Sea & Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seaside is under threat, as Ursula mercilessly advances upon the unsuspecting town where her escape has already caused many changes to go into effect. Are new witches about to rise? Or is this her doom?

Seaside, having been founded roughly ten years after the extravagant marriage between King Eric & Queen Ariel, was made with the power of working hands & Triton’s all-powerful Trident. Having been raised from an enormous area of seabed above the waves by Triton’s relic, Eric’s kingdom promptly started building upon it a walled island-state, importing enormous amount of soil & stone, covering the island in fertile lands & sectioning it off with strong walls, to keep out the sea & protect against rough storms, helped by many skilled practioners of magic such as Madame Odie. Twenty years after having founded the island, most of the work had been complete, with an all compassing circumfence a dozen meters off the water-edge, enormous breakwaters every hundred or so meter, protecting the fragile island against the fury of the relentless waves. Beyond this initial fence, enormous polders lay which siphoned off water during high tides & kept the low-lying island dry amidst racing currents & seasonal torrential rains. Two kilometres after this wall, with large dykes running between it and the next wall, there stood the first real wall, named the Azure Ring. It protected the inner-island against the worst floods, keeping out wind & water alike, as behind it lay the fertile farmlands of Seaside, which were crisscrossed with canals & dykes for as far as the eye could see, until it was blocked from view by the second wall, which lay five kilometres behind the Azure Ring. This third wall was called the Emerald Dyke. Upon it, raised fully fifty meters above everything else, stood a ring of turrets, each separated from the other by five hundred meters of wall, ten meters thick. Here was the defence against enemy-forces, the strongest wall of all, beyond which lay the capital of Seaside, Tritonport, kept connected to the sea by a vast winding channel which ships could sail upon in relative ease. Anywhere, not used as field or town, enormous forests covered the island, ever going mangroves with roots buried deep within the water rich soils.

Here, in the centre of the capital, stood the vast castle of King Eric & Queen Arielle, where they lived with their five children & an enormous amount of Ariel’s & Eric’s siblings, living in a building that combined both merpeople architecture & human innovation, rising high above the island & granting a view of the entire state from its top-most turrets. Sea-themed decorations bound the castle together, no matter how different the functions of different rooms were. The first floor, along with a large amount of submarine basements & coral-encrusted caves, served as the main living quarters of Ariel’s family, allowing them to accompany important diplomatic meetings via the large water-pools that decorated the halls of the first floor & connected directly with the caves below. It was not uncommon to see merpeople talk happily with visitors from the surrounding village in the castle, trading pearls, shells & found items for land-made trinkets such as glass bottles, metal items & food. Indeed, much of Seaside’s export & economy relied on this joint cooperation between humans & merpeople alike, supplying each side with a vast array of different goods of varied use. Having been raised in such a varied household & such congenial atmosphere, Ariel’s children had grown up to be endearing youngsters, aside for perhaps one or two who might be described by normal Auradonean as queer or perhaps even weird.

It is true that Harper, second-born of the family & first-born son, was an extremely shy child, even at age seventeen, but he had never taken a liking to people in general, especially when it concerned people who were not family. Of his family, the merpeople had gained his trust the most, as he was always willing to talk with them where his human relatives might receive a grim nod & refusal to speak. Ariel had thought nothing of it, suspecting he leaned more towards her side of the family even though he was plainly human in appearance, yet she recognized much of herself in him & always pleaded against Eric whenever her husband told their son he should go out more. Harper took his interests far, specializing his hobby in geology & biology, always thrilled whenever a merperson gifted him a new rock or piece of coral he hadn’t seen before. Spending much time in his room on the first floor, Ariel had known ever since he first did so, he spend most of his time in the warm waters that connected his room to the caverns below. Indeed, one of her cousins always waited for him so they could swim together & she could keep him out of trouble if he ever got difficulty swimming or breathing.

Aria was more difficult of character, especially at age fifteen when no child is easy to deal with, always secluding herself away from company & instead focussing on chemistry & spending lots of time studying the art of alchemy, even as it was forbidden by Auradonean law to practice it. The third-born of the family & second-born daughter of Ariel, Aria & her twin-brother Ron had always been rather lonely people, even though Ron had grown out of his childhood-isolation & become a very well-known guest in many households around the castle. Enjoying all sides of life, Ron had become almost the polar opposite of Aria, who had narrowed her interests down to the two she now studied, alone in her room while Ron would seduce the youth of the island no matter their status or personality. He always claimed he loved all people equally & even though it brought him many smiles from those less fortunate, it also brought him a lot of jealousy & problems with those who would claim him as their own. Aria didn’t want to know anything of boarding schools & when Melody had been sent to Auradon Prep, Aria had made it extremely clear that the moment she was sent likewise, nobody would forget it. Indeed, Aria’s room was in one of the topmost towers, secluded from the rest of the castle & repaired on almost monthly basis, sometimes blowing up sections of the roof due to failed experiments, but often enough by nearly rocking the turret from its pedestal to the tower by violent explosions that luckily hardly ever did any serious damage. Ariel had considered moving her room lower down, to prevent this rocking-off but had then thought that a rocking turret was less of a problem than a castle shaken to its foundations. 

Melody, of course, was Ariel’s first-born, a beautiful daughter, who had taken many people’s heart by her personality & beauty. Often causing jealousy among her siblings, Melody’s character had been exceedingly kind, curious & rebellious. After having secluded her from the merpeople in fear of hateful reprisals by any relatives of Ursula still out there, she had let them meet for the first time ever when Melody had nearly jumped from her balcony to the channel far below it. She had taken to it like a fish in water, literally, and along with Harper, she had spent days on end in the pleasant waters beneath the castle, where helpful relatives always kept an eye out for the two. Now, nearing her twentieth birthday, Melody had become a diplomat between the kingdoms, spending a lot of her attention on trading & preserving nature as it is or was. Having become an apprentice to Madame Odie & the Three Fairies, studying about nature & how to use it for good in all kingdoms, she is almost solely responsible for all current nature-reserves throughout Auradon.

Cadence had been born last & had become the most usual of all children, spending her time equally between the sides of the family & attending good wills, balls, … every week. Though not exceedingly beautiful or smart, she had taken to diplomacy as if it were her life. Brokering between states at the age of twelve, she had managed to build up the relationship between Agrabah, Seaside & Auradon to a height never before imagined. Indeed, now that she was betrothed to the son of Aladdin at age fourteen on her own will as she loved the boy dearly, she had joined the two states in a more than symbolic way & was already affecting Agrabah with Seaside’s innovations by helping sultan Aladdin in managing water in the desert-state & expanding the population of his thriving city.

And now, today of all days, Ariel had woken to a terrible shaking of the castle, followed by screams of surprise & later horror, when she & several of her children had suddenly realized they were no longer human – or not completely.

Aria had woken to the violent tremor in surprise, but when it had stopped & she had had time to inspect for damage, she had been shocked to discover she was no longer strictly human. Her skin had become iridescent, tiny scales reflecting light in a myriad of colours, as her skin had become more coral of colour than pink. When she had finally reached a mirror, she was at first appalled by the change that had come over her. From her body protruded spikes, which she recognised as typical for lionfish. Indeed, even her hair had become more like thick strands in that typical coral-colour as seemingly half-formed aquatic wings adorned her forearms & large fins fanned away from her back. The more she looked, the more she saw the beauty in the change, the way the fins streamed away from her yet lined her figure in a flattering way, the colour & markings her skin now sported, … She looked beautiful, or so she thought, for the first time in her life. Yet, a shiver of dread crept upon her as she recognized that no merperson looked like this except perhaps for those terrible witches. Indeed, a typical merperson merely sported a fishlike tail & not these changes. Only Ursula & other infamous witches had ever looked like anything else. Was she destined to become as villainous as they?

Her twin-brother discovered his own change at the same time, having been roused at the same reason & moment as her. And like her, he only noticed the change when inspecting a mirror. His skin had darkened, become nearly a purple tone as a large cloak, as he called it, stretched between his arms & the sides of his torso. A large slender tail, black markings, fins on his legs, … He recognized in his form the subtle outline of manta rays & shuddered at the remembrance of the dreaded & feared dark Ray who had tormented his merpeople family years ago. He didn’t dare think how they could ever not become repulsed by his new appearance, before Aria had stormed in to show her own change to him. Startled at their sudden new looks, they had both stared at each other before they had started to laugh & congratulate each other on the new look. Aria looked dazzling in her new form, while she thought he looked quite regal with his cloak & dark markings alike tattoos. But both dreaded their mother’s reaction if they’d show her. 

Both Harper & Melody, even though this was only found out later in the latter’s case, discovered soon that they had become alike their mother, each sporting a strong tail now instead of legs. Melody’s tail was dazzlingly, almost glitteringly, ruby in colour, flashing in the light like gems cast in a fire. Harper’s was the deepest of azure, shimmering like the sea whenever it moved. Excited to be able to swim freely for the first time ever, Harper had dove into the pools of his chamber, where he had startled his nearest-living relatives in pleasant surprise when he showed his new tail. Indeed, many of them congratulated him on developing such a fine tail, but all wondered how it had come to be. Of course, Triton could accomplish such things, but Triton had been away for several days now, ever since Melody’s disappearance.

Ariel herself had awoken, finding herself like in her youth, with a strong tail instead of legs. When Eric had woken & noticed, they had instantly brought her to the nearest pool where Ariel could get used to her old tail again. Panicked at this sudden metamorphosis, especially when they learned that Aria, Ron & Harper had experienced the same thing, Ariel had send messengers out into the ocean to find & retrieve her father. “Calm down, Ariel. They’ll find him, no worries. I’ll send word out to our allies, find out if they know anything, okay?” Ariel had begrudgingly allowed him to leave, as she ordered the guards to close the island off, for she feared the worst possible thing could have happened. Indeed, she had guessed quickly that Ursula was to blame, in one way or another, as it had been her father’s magic that had giver her legs & probably had kept her children human. But if her father’s magic had been countered, it could mean only two things. Or the Trident was destroyed & its magic along with it, or the Trident had been claimed by a new master & all previous magic undone per default, as was wanton.  
When Eric’s messengers had returned with the news of the Isle outbreak, Ariel’s worst fears had indeed been realized. Ursula had the Trident & was coming their way, brewing in her wake a storm the likes of which the world had never seen. Already, far on the horizon, dark skies were brooding & with every minute seemed to draw closer. Alerting the entire island, every person outside of the Emerald Dyke was brought back in, as the gates of every wall were closed & the channel completely closed off. Of course, all this would do very little if Ursula actually held the Trident, but at least they could hope. But before the storm had hit, Ariel’s worst fears seemed to become reality when Aria & Ron had walked into her room in their new shapes.

“But, you can’t be! Not you two, surely not!” Ariel exclaimed a gasp, looking shocked at Aria & Ron, disbelieving the evidence of her own eyes as she saw her hopes for her children vanish before her. “Please, don’t tell me… You’re not… Are you?” She hated to even ask the question, but she had to be sure, had to know. Aria sighed as Ron merely looked at his mother as if she had just hit him, heartbroken & rooted in disbelief. “No mother, we’re not witches? Will never be. It’s not that we look as them that we are them, right? I mean, you looked human but never were. Evidence enough.” Aria had snapped at her, while Ron merely looked on the verge of tears before Aria gave him a violent slap on the shoulder. “Oh, get it together, Ron. We’re not evil & she’ll just have to believe us. I mean, have we ever done anything that hurt anybody else? Besides accidentally blowing up a room or knocking down barrels?” She looked pleadingly at her mother, who was still gazing at them in horror. “Of course not, dear. It’s just, bad memories, is all. I’m sorry, Ron. You just look like… him, you know? It just got the better of me, love.” She reached out a hand & lovingly caressed his cheek as they had settled down besides her pool. “At least you two look sort of human, still having legs. Guess you got the best of two worlds, even if it’s a more intense transformation than that of me & Harper.” Aria laughed at this, as she had seen Harper excitedly jumping from pool to pool when she had crossed the main hall on the first floor.

“Mom, does this mean that grandfather is dead?” Aria asked, having guessed, after recollecting all the tales she had ever heard about the trident & her grandfather. Ariel looked puzzled at first, before a frown showed & she reluctantly answered. “I don’t know, dear, but if this is because of the trident, than it can be, I fear.” Ron merely took his mother by the shoulders, pulling her almost out of the water in a hug when she answered. Ariel was looking weary, her once radiant red hair now streaked with grey on several places as wrinkles had settled in her face. She had become extremely tired the last five years, fearing that the royal life was wearing her down unlike anything she had known before. She had said so to Eric but he had merely assured her that it was merely age keeping up with her. Soon he’d be greyer than she was & she had laughed at this, before they had fallen asleep. Now she looked tired once more, ready to lie down & fall in a dreamless sleep. Aria kept watch as Ron merely let his mother lay down her head, stroking & combing her hair as she fell asleep. “Aria?” Aria huffed in response, as she strode through the chamber from window to window. “What are we gonna do? If grandfather is dead, it’s because of only one person & she’ll be coming here next then. What are we gonna do?” Aria pondered over the question, as she had noticed something in her emotions to have taken hold the last hour or so. She had the constant urge to mix things, for some reason. “Don’t witches come with an innate sense for potion-brewing?” She asked Ron, who looked up with a puzzled expression. “I guess so, at least so we always were told. Why?” Aria looked back at him, practically beaming in anticipation of her suggestion, as she went over a list of ingredients she kept in her room. “Perhaps we should fight water with water, get my drift? What if we brew some potions to work against Ursula, to help defeat her?” Ron looked worried at the idea, fearing that it might bring them down the wrong path, make them evil in the end. “It won’t make us evil if we do it for the sake of goodness, right? I mean, if it kills Ursula, what’s so bad about that? Is it evil? No, maybe, but if it does the job, isn’t that what matters?” Aria stated, as matter of fact. She had always been extremely logical, which had drawn her towards chemistry & alchemy, as these were practices where logic ruled definitely. Somehow she knew at least a simple potion, having read it in one of her books on alchemy, a simple brew to stun the fortune of a foe. Nothing illegal, just a harmless prank of course, unless that foe is an omnipotent sea-witch. In such a case, that stunted fortune might very well mean the difference between victory & defeat. She grinned as she walked out of the room, leaving a worried Ron alone with their mother.

“Thorn of rose in salt of sea.” Easy enough, she thought, as she picked a rose out of one of the many bouquets that adorned the halls, carefully clipped the thorns off & threw them into a bowl, before mixing some ordinary sea-salt in. “Unholy clover buried beneath metal.” She knew that somewhere, she had kept a four-leave clover for good luck, rummaging through her closet, discarding useless items upon the floor while she also sought her vial with aluminium-powder. The recipe didn’t say which metal, but she was sure that any metal would do. Of course, the original might have meant a metal plate, but this would be just as good. Conditions fulfilled, even if with different ingredients, are still conditions fulfilled. Finally finding the clover beneath an alchemy-book, she ground it down into a powder before topping it with several spoons of metallic powder. Mixing it together & pouring the powder over the first batch, she read the next step. “Burn among incense & call your foe.” Easy, again, she smiled, wondering how anyone could ever find this to be difficult to perform & why it was forbidden. Picking up a stray batch of incense-powder from one of her many shelves, she put in central in the powder & lighted the mixture. Once the whole thing was sparking & fizzling, she caught a scent that couldn’t be there. A sour note, as if of sour milk, mixed the sour freshness common to cut lemons. Repeating Ursula’s name a few times, she remarked a sparkling smoke to billow out from the column above the burning powder & leave through the open window, dissipating in the strong blowing wind outside. She could only hope that it’d work & that this entire experiment wouldn’t land her in jail or worse…

Harper was happy, truly happy, for the first time ever in his young life. Finally able to swim as far, deep & long as he wanted, no longer restricted by the necessity to breath or the coldness of the water freezing him. He just kept on diving, further & further down, beyond the usually habited caverns below Tritonport. He knew merpeople tended to keep to the surface & didn’t like the deepest parts of the caves they lived in, but why they never told him. And now that he could, he was sure to find out, at any cost. Of course he knew that none of this was normal, but he couldn’t care. To be free like this was worth anything, even not knowing how it happened. Further & further down he kept going, swimming past the luminous corals Ariel’s family had introduced into the caves, finally entering the dark abyssal depths where no merperson dwelt. Finally switching on the floodlights he had grabbed & bound around his waist, he illuminated the dark walls. Enchanted by what he saw after a few minutes more diving, he let his fingers wander over the etched murals that adorned these smooth cave-walls. This was no natural effect, he knew, as he could clearly see chisel-marks at all sides of the etchings. Intricate depictions of fish, geometrical patterns & what looked like writing, all crossing over & under each other, stretching as far down as he could see & going off indefinitely at every side. He stood gaping at them, awestruck & bewildered. Why wouldn’t the merpeople study these, if they knew about them?

He kept diving down, inspecting the murals at intervals, as they slowly became even more eccentric & detailed, before he finally reached what was sure to be the absolute bottom of the caves. Here, he was shocked to find not simply a floor but a large chamber with a single blocked aperture. Obviously it was a door, as its archway reached from floor to ceiling, bordered by intricate geometric symmetries in a myriad of shimmering colours that stood out against the grey walls when the light illuminated them. But who ever would need so large a door, he couldn’t guess, for it was enormous & Harper was sure an army could easily march through it. Yet it stood blocked, an enormous flat surface preventing it from being used. This surface, which was of a distinctly other rock, as it was obviously igneous unlike the surrounding sedimentary rock. It had a slightly different colour too, nearly a pale grey rather than a black grey. Harper traced the surface with his fingers, trying to find a crack between it & the aperture, going along the entire border before stopping & looking at the thing. Something was meant to keep people out, rather than to keep something in. That meant the only way in was from the other side, where doubtlessly some mechanism existed to move the capstone from the aperture & allow free access. He turned his attention to the murals in the chamber, tracing their pictorial designs & noticing how they obviously acted as a way of conveying history paired with the writing. Elaborate bas-reliefs showcasing precessions, marches & cityscapes, all adorned with miniscule writing, occasionally interspersed with large hieroglyphs which obviously pertained to either a name or thing of importance. He watched with rapped attention as the murals indeed began to speak their tale now that he could read them a bit & he was blatantly awed at what he understood from them.

Ursula raved, raged, and furiously bellowed when she had felt that petty curse hit her. Someone had tried to curse her, her! The most powerful being in the oceans! But this was no ordinary curse, why no, it reminded her of her own magic, of her potions & concoctions. Was a sour client trying to get back at her? No matter, she would deal with them soon enough. She could already spy the dim island of Seaside on the far horizon, as she called forth Flotsam & Jetsam. “My pretties, here! Come & let me make you great again!” She cackled, the fury still raging but her mind toiling with plans & ideas. She hit the eels with the trident, the ray it had erupted hitting the eels full on & making them writhe in pain. Before her eyes, they began to grow, ever larger & larger. “Jormungander, my dears, let your ancient ancestor return through you both! Grow, my pretties, grow & devour!” She cackled, as the twin eels grew enormous, their skin flaring in colour & iridescence, as within minutes, their tails swept up the seas. Before her stood her pets, once small, now several kilometres long & several dozen meters broad, lurching in the seas about her as they got accustomed to their new size. Monster waves raced over the surface as their tails hit the sea with enough force to shatter mountains & their jaws finally opened in torrential maelstroms as water rushed into their gaping maws. Finally, Ursula now had her way of making sure nobody from Seaside could escape her wrath, as she rode her pretties through the ocean, sending tidal waves before them as the city-state drew ever neared. “We’ll drown them all, my pretties, every single last one of them!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Ariel & Eric have five children; Melody (cannon-sequel appearance, 20 years old), Harper (OC, 17 years old), Aria/Ron (OC-twins, both 15 years old) & Cadence (OC, 14 years old). There is no harm in telling you that Aria & Ron are essentially witches as they look more like Ursula's kind than regular merpeople. Melody & Harper are regular merpeople, even though Melody hasn't appeared in this chapter save for a mention. But Cadence is fully human, like fer father.
> 
> As for what Harper finds, deep below Seaside, think eldritch.
> 
> Yes, Flotsam & Jetsam are now essentially clones of the mythical Jormungander, the serpent which spanned the world-ocean in Norse mythology & made the earth shake with its every movement. Think tropical eels, but the sizes of mega-whales, large enough to easily encircle Seaside.
> 
> Edit; Added extra descriptions, bit more dialogue & fixed some mistakes.


	18. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pain is generally defined as bodily suffering characterized by such feelings or as a mental or emotional suffering or distress.
> 
> Pain shapes people, as does fear. True courage comes only from standing against these & defying the things that hold you back, as many people shall eventually discover.

Aladdin had received word of the breakout just hours ago, by an exhausted Yago who had flown all the way from Auradon central straight to him once word had reached him. Immediately sending out his scouts, messengers & guards en masse, Aladdin’s worst fear became sudden reality when they reported a large group of villains marching unto Agrabah before word had stopped coming at all & the group was totally lost from sight. If the previous news had worried Aladdin, this absence of news had brought him to the edge of panic & frantic anxiety, destined to tear down his stoic facade. He wished that he still had Genie around, for this moment all seemed bleak & desolate even though nothing had yet happened. He still didn’t know of Jafar’s ascend to full power, but he knew enough to wager that it was inevitable they’d return. After all, Jafar had been brought back from death in the exact way he had been sent into it, as a Djinn. But seeing how on the Isle magic was countered, it had become easy enough to ignore this fact the past twenty years. But now, without a doubt, those powers would surely return & Jafar would undoubtedly start honing them once more. His guards were re-enforcing the garrisons on the Wall at that very moment, but if Jafar were back to full strength, they’d be unable to hurt him, much less stop or delay him. Unless of course that single detail would indeed also be fact again, that tiny clause that comes with cosmic powers. Then they’d have a chance, but where it would appear & to whom it would then belong by right or luck, he could never hope to guess. Another messenger entered the room, just as Yago flew back in. “Sire, a strange storm-cloud is heading straight towards Agrabah. It does not behave as it ought, coming against the wind towards us.” Yago waited for the messenger to finish, before he interjected. “It’s true, Aladdin, it’s a biggie. And if the shadows I saw in it are any indication, it seems that Jafar is the least of our problems.” Aladdin pinched his nose, feeling another migraine set in as he send the messenger away, ordering Yago to bring a message to the surrounding kingdoms. “Agrabah needs help. Go, Yago, now! No time to lose!” Spurting away at lightning speed, Yago was past the Wall before Aladdin had sat down at the window, watching the cloud on the distant horizon approach. “This is going to be one hell of a night…”

Jay tossed about in his bed, locked in a nightmarish dream, wherein he stood face to face with his father bellowing against him. His father, raging, fuming & yelling obscenities at him, admonishing him while lashing Jay’s bare back with cruel whips. He yells in excruciating pain, pleading his father Jafar to stop, to let him go. “Father, please! Stop! Please!” Jafar heeded him not, merely whipping him again as he kept spewing curses & degrading obscenities at his son who is whimpering before alike a coward. His staff, gripped in his free hand, glows ominously, its ruby eyes fixated upon the bleeding lashes on Jay’s back, blood trickling down from the open wounds, down Jay’s sides & unto the floor. “This shall teach you to disobey me, you worthless insolent slave! Forget the bond of blood, you shall be nothing but a slave for eternity when I rule!” He whipped again, and again, and again… Each stroke ripped across the other wounds, tearing them further open, drawing more & more blood as Jay felt his will crumble under the unending pain, as he keeps pleading & whimpering. “Dad… Please, stop…” His pleas had become nothing more than soft whispers, between screams of pain & sobs of fear, as tears streak down his cheeks & blood down his sides. He could think of nothing else but the next lash, as they had taken a steady rhythm under Jafar’s hand. Again & again he felt the whip tear at his skin, adding another jolt of pain with the searing stings of further opened slashes. Blood was steadily dripping from his skin now, staining his pants as he sat there, hands bound to the ground & back arched high up into the air, as his legs sat folded underneath him, a pool of blood spreading out from underneath him. All the while, Jafar was merely cackling & berating Jay, now & again striking the point of his staff against the open wounds, pressing into the bare flesh & making Jay scream with agony & pain. “After I have flayed your back completely free of skin, slave, I will start the same with your useless bitch of a lover. Oh, how I shall enjoy whipping Cruella’s pup, make him whine as you will watch from the side-lines, you filthy sodomite. You will watch & he shall scream, yell, and weep! You’ll wish you were both dead, useless creatures that you both are! How disgusting it is that my flesh, my blood, stains the family with this sinful behaviour! Have you enjoyed rutting the pup, slave? You better have, because every emotion you feel for that pup shall be replaced with nothing but hatred, pain & fear! You filthy swine!” Jay felt his world shake as another slash hit him, while his father kept threatening him with torturing Carlos, before he heard somebody cry out in distress, calling for him as Jay screamed again. Suddenly jumping awake from the horrible nightmare, Jay crashed his head against that of the person calling him. “Ow! Jay, you idiot!” It was Carlos, as the boy sat before him rubbing his head while keeping a hand on Jay’s shoulder.

“Carlos! Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in the infirmary?” Jay asked, his nightmare forgotten as worries about Carlos sprang up in his mind, banishing that image of Jafar gloating over his beaten body. Carlos whimpered Jay’s hands away as he took Jay by the shoulders again. “I’m fine, Jay. I was let out. Why were you yelling? Did you have a nightmare?” Jay drew back, remembering the dream again, drawing his knees up as he tried his best not to let it get to him. “I’m fine, C. Really, it’s nothing.” Carlos pouted as he lifted an admonishing finger before Jay. “It wasn’t nothing. I could hear you yell in distress almost at the end of the corridor. You’re lucky no one else is in the rooms next door, otherwise they’d have stormed in thinking you were being tortured. Now, again, what happened?” Jay looked at Carlos, whose gaze was locked on his eyes, a certain light behind them fearing for Jay’s safety, real or imagined. “It… It was just a stupid nightmare.” Carlos let go of Jay’s shoulders, laying his hands on Jay’s knees. “What was it about, Jay? Please, tell me…” Jay didn’t want to answer but Carlos’ puppy-eyes were remarkable in forcing him to spill the beans. “It was about my dad. I dreamed he had captured me and… and was punishing me…” Trembling visible, his hands clutched around his knees & his nails almost digging into his skin, Jay could feel the dread of that nightmare take a hold of his mind again. “He was whipping me, C. I… I couldn’t… And then he threatened me with torturing you… I… I just…” Tears forced their way out, streaming down his cheeks as Carlos merely pulled him into a hug, burying Jay’s face in the crook of his neck, down unto the Mark Jay had put there. Sobbing softly now, embraced by Carlos & inhaling the boy’s calming scent, Jay let go of the feelings, as tears kept streaming down his face, pooling in Carlos’ clavicle & falling on Jay’s lips. 

Carlos had never before seen Jay so distressed, hell, he had never seen Jay really cry. That a mere nightmare could break him so surely said enough about the essence of the nightmare. Carlos knew Jay had always been secretly terrified of Jafar, as his father had a way with punishing people in such a manner that they didn’t even know it until it hit them full on. Hell, Carlos even suspected Jafar of having sold Jay’s body on the Isle when the dark teen was barely old enough to have started puberty, even though Jay never said anything whatsoever related to this. But Carlos had his hunches for good reasons. And then there was the fact that Jay had once told him how Jafar had merely berated a debtor, only to having the debtor return the next day in tears, shaking in fear before Jafar as they had handed their late payment to him. After that day, Jay had always expected Jafar to have the ability to enter people’s dreams, but after tonight, they knew that this was not just a hunch. Being free after so many years would undoubtedly strengthen his powers so it didn’t surprise Carlos as he puzzled together the pieces. Jafar had decided to punish his son in the worst possible way, in such a way that he could do it over and over again, making the strong teen afraid of ever falling asleep in fear of experiencing the dream again. Psychological warfare, as Carlos had read it to be called, was without a doubt Jafar’s speciality & favourite past time on the Isle & before he had been imprisoned. Shushing Jay & softly rubbing his mate’s back, Carlos hummed a soft bedtime-song as he felt Jay relax in his arms. Jay’s scent had become strong in fear due to the dream, but was already becoming less prominent as Carlos kept him close. He needed this as badly as Jay did, especially after last night. He could still feel the crack of Cruella’s neck that rocked through his jaw in that form, like he had just bitten through a though nut. He didn’t feel like he would mourn her, merely feeling detached from her death as if it was just a bug that he saw die. Indeed, his worst feelings were about himself, about the fact he had been able to do it, that he felt so at ease about it…

He had felt horrified at the fact that the scent of her blood had made him nearly unable to control himself, to prevent himself from disembowelling her with his pack & feast on her still warm flesh. Only Jay’s presence had kept him grounded, knowing that wasn’t him but the wolf speaking at him. They had made a pact, true, because Carlos knew he could crush that parasite in his mind with ease, especially if it meant protecting Jay by doing so. But still, the wolf couldn’t be silenced if it wasn’t undone. Its instincts still gnawed in his head at times, every time he had scented the blood from the injured students being treated in the infirmary in which he lain in for a few hours until nurse Janett had released him. It had made him nauseous & hungry, wishing he could leave & seek some solitude where there were no enticing smells that could cause him to hurt others. But even in Jay’s arms, he could feel his own instincts be amplified by those of the wolf. They were loudly whispering in the back of his mind now, saying he should take his mate, woo him, make him forget the world & only him. But Jay’s scent, still tinged with fear, kept Carlos from giving in to those voices. If he tried to claim Jay now, it would damage their relationship irrevocably. It would make Jay think Carlos only could try to help him by fucking him, which Carlos didn’t want. On the other hand, Jay would realize it would be the fault of those voices, as he knew Jay felt similar voices call to him in the back of his mind. The wolf had told him so & Jay’s behaviour during certain events had reflected this fact. Everyone had them & many people ignore them, but if you ignore what is part of your nature, what then are you doing? In essence, it would become tantamount to suicide if you kept doing it, eventually succumbing to the ignored instincts, as they would one day wreak havoc on your mind & simply take over. And what could instincts do if they had been ignored for decades on end, like in some people? Carlos shuddered merely thinking about the possibilities, at what it might mean concerning their escaped parents & all the other villains.

Jay eventually stopped sobbing, merely remaining in the tight embrace as Carlos kept rubbing his back & straying his hands through the long hair. Carlos knew Jay simply needed to be held, not talked to. He knew Jay was strong enough to get through the shock of the nightmare, but everybody needs a hug from time to time. And considering Jay’s usual no-touch attitude with everybody but Carlos, that told Carlos Jay was most in need of a hug when he had broken down like this. To talk about it would only disrupt Jay’s coming to terms with the event, but holding him & making him feel loved, something they had only done a few times before coming to Auradon, that was the one thing which could pull Jay back up to his feet the quickest. Carlos didn’t mind comforting Jay, as the dark teen had done the same plenty of times for him without complaining, but he hadn’t expected to be doing this when he had just gotten out of the infirmary though. He wondered if the pack was still out there, waiting for him to return, waiting for their new alpha. He had been surprised how quickly the other had taken over the top-alpha status between those wild wolves, almost as if it had known they’d be there & had anticipated the entire situation, planned the encounter with his mother. Of course, this wolf wasn’t stupid but to be this cunning & forward thinking was startling to discover from a thing many people see as simply bestial & stupid. Dude hadn’t greeted him as usual ever since he had started changing, probably having noticed the wolf within him before anyone else had done. It had pained him to give the mutt to Ben to care for, for the time being, but he couldn’t bear Dude’s growls at him anymore. He sighed, preparing for a long night…

The Red Queen was still in her castle, looking over the city before it, as the column of green fire in the back of Nowhere finally died down after raging for nearly twelve hours straight. The fire gone now, the eerie green glow still emanated from the unseen castle deep within those woods. She knew the King would undoubtedly start creating an army of the undead once the Cauldron was fully active again, using the corpses that undoubtedly filled the cellars & dungeons of the Forbidden Fortress. She had taken the trouble of learning about her “allies” & this strange figure that never really went about in public, except to peddle second-hand cauldrons & advertise his cauldron repair-shop, had her worried the most. The Horned King had spent the last twenty years repairing, buying & refurbishing cauldrons, never talking to anyone except his costumers & suppliers. Secretly, the Queen suspected that he had spent all that effort simply to find a way to repair the Black Cauldron. But that didn’t matter now. Turning back to the Looking Glass, satisfied to finally see it becoming active, she closed the window & sent her servants away, wishing to be left alone in the room. When the last servant had left & closed the door behind her, she turned back to the Looking Glass. A large mirror, lavishly decorated & gilded, with age-stained glass framed by baroque relief, it softly glowed as its surface was visibly rippling & whirling. It had begun to warm up a few hours after the Barrier had gone down, finally connecting with that otherworldly reality which was Wonderland & where she had been ripped from on account of the pleas of the Liddell-family, led by that infernal bitch Alice. She sneered at the thought, thinking how unqueenly it is to use vulgarities to defer to foes. True, Alice had insulted her in Wonderland, by shaming her royal status & escaping before just punishment had been enforced on her. But she was a Queen & queens stand above the ramblings & vaguerities of the common rabble, even of those as cunning as the Liddell-girl. But now the Looking Glass was almost ready & her Army of Hearts would soon march through it on her command. Oh, she hoped that that idiot king of hers would be smart enough to listen & not think he has any say in the matter. He had always been vaguely defiant towards her absolute power, even going as far as claiming she was too harsh. But, oh dear, they were talking in vulgar tongue again. They clicked their heels, slightly angered.

“Truly now, it won’t do for us to speak about ourselves as ‘I’, by God. Are we not royalty?” They proclaimed to the empty room as they turned towards the window & stared at the woods again. They wondered what that dreadful Horned King was doing at the very moment in his Fortress? He was very well the only real problem they could encounter, as he could not be held under their sway or be persuaded by their logic, as he followed his own perverted sense of justice & logic. Indeed, that filthy thing had muttered against them that they were not royalty, but “merely puppets whose strings are held by past history & only made powerful by respect for tradition & fear of punishment, not by true Power”. They had been enraged, but when commanding his head to roll, no single servant had dared step up against him. They had been more afraid of him than of them, which had struck them as queer. Why, surely, the prospect of losing one’s head if they disobeyed would be incentive enough to fear them more, no? But now they could see why those servants had been afeared of that slumped figure of a peddler. The green light pulsed vilely, as if the heartbeat of a great glowing beast that stirred in the deep of the forests. But as they observed this light, they spied a lone figure walking about the streets, juggling what appeared to be a deck of cards back & forth between their nimble hands. “My, my, what is good sir Facilier still doing out there, we wonder?” They smiled at this lonesome figure, as it passed their castle. Surely a person such as he would’ve taken his first opportunity to make a good deal with his old Friends, no? Deciding they better extend an invitation, they yelled a servant to bring sir Facilier to them & were pleased to see a few small figures hastily leave the castle to stop the wandering vagrant & usher him into their domain. “Indeed, indeed, this shall be a very fortuitous night for sure…”

Facilier had been walking through the deserted town for several hours by the time the green flames in the distanced had died down, after some half-day of spewing into the skies. He hadn’t consulted his cards anymore & had done his best to ignore those whispering shadows behind his back ever since the town had drained of its prisoners. He had no desire to leave it, not right now, seeing how he had nowhere to go & that the war still hadn’t begun proper. He’d like to remain close to his own home, the only place he can feel safe right now. But staying inside all day had made him irritated at nothing in particular, so he walked. But when he was suddenly halted by some idiotically dressed servants, who had scampered out of the Red Keep, he had become curious indeed as to what the Red Queen wished from him. She had never really interested herself in his business or life, so this was a first. He didn’t put up a defence & meekly let himself be driven by the servants into the castle as he kept juggling his cards between his hands. He knew the cards were flashing in the same order as he had laid them down during his last consultation & ignored them, merely focussing on his surroundings. He had to give it to her, the Red Queen had erected an interesting home in quite a short while. To be able to make rosebushes of paper & cardboard, painting them red every day as to keep them popping, it surely took some warped thinking. As he observed the fake garden, he could see cardboard-fountains with painted water, self-made flamingos, hideously pink between the green-painted paper-bushes. If he didn’t know her cruel & sadistic nature, he’d found this all very amusing & silly. But he knew better than to laugh…

Eventually admitted to her royal chambers, Facilier stood face to face with the queen, who was standing next to a mirror that seemed to wobble in & out of existence, as he looked at it from the corners of his eyes. It seemed to remain solid if he watched it directly, but from the edges of his vision, its true nature became apparent, as it seemed to flit. She noticed his observation of the mirror & gave a lithe laugh before she addressed him. “Quite an interesting mirror, wouldn’t you say, sir Facilier?” He straightened up, taking of his hat & bowing low before her. He might not be royalty or even noble gentry, but he hadn’t forgotten his good manners, especially when they could prevent his head from detaching from his neck. “Indeed, majesty, I dare assume it is the famed Looking-Glass we have all heard off?” He politely retorted, his voice between whisper & exclamation, as he stood back upright & placed his hat atop his head again. She nodded, bidding him a closer look at the artefact, which glowed unmistakeably when viewed from up-close. “It is a portal to my old domain, Wonderland. In a few short hours, it will have re-established a secure connection & allow me to call forth my army to once again serve me. Or allow me to escape this place before a certain doom befalls it.” He was surprised, sure not to let her notice, when she told this. Extending his fingertips to the surface of the mirror & whirling a fingertip in the nearly gelatinous mass, he slowly drew his arm back & congratulated her. “I’m sure you wish to fight Auradon as well, after all they did bring you here.” She shook her head solemnly. “No, sir, I do not. What I want to fight is what worries me most at this very moment.”

She stepped towards the window, guiding her gloved hand to the distant glow. “There is my enemy, one who would raise the death to raise a global holocaust & bring all under his thrall, alive or dead. Why, indeed, I think he would prefer dead as it would only strengthen his army & make sure they would not become defiant.” Facilier agreed, nodding his head as she spoke & lowered her hand again. “Indeed, majesty, the Horned King might be a worse adversary than Auradon were he to decide we’re not worth sparing or ignoring. With a power like that of the Black Cauldron, he would have no match in this world.” She agreed, as she went to sit down in her parlour, inviting him to take a seat while addressing a servant to bring the tea. “Nothing better to invigorate the senses like a twilight tea-break, would you not agree, sir Facilier? Indeed, there is no power on this world strong enough to fight the Black Cauldron, Mr. Facilier, but there is one in our world, perhaps.” Facilier, having seated him not quite opposite of her, nodded, taking cup & saucer from a servant girl who quickly disappeared into the shadows, waiting for her next order. “Impressive,” He thought as he saw the girl disappear, before noticing the swaying edges of the shadows in the room taking on certain forms. “Alas, majesty, it seems my old Friends wish to partake in tea as well.” He said as the Queen noticed the shapes as well, seemingly unfazed by their sudden appearance. Merely nodding at him, the Queen said nothing & drank from her tea as the shadowy figures slowly crept out of the dark & draped themselves around Facilier, whispering to him as he drank the tea. “They seem to think you wish to make a deal with them, majesty. Is this correct?” She smiled, her lips slightly curling as she nodded, before putting down her cup & speaking up. “Indeed, sir Facilier, they are quite correct. Let us discuss a deal.”

The Evil Queen stared at her Magic Mirror, reflecting an image of Evie bent over her lit desk as she studied her books. Sighing before she let the mirror dissipate the image, Grimhilde sat herself down as she pondered about what she should do. On one hand, she really wanted to go to her daughter, keep her safe now that all those ruffians were loose. But on the other hand, she was a villain, was she not? She was supposed to take revenge on Snowhite & those pesky dwarves, but she couldn’t help but feeling it to be useless. Twenty years of isolation & banishment had taken the fire out of her. At the moment, above anything else, she wished merely to spend her remaining time in peace & quiet, out of this prison, with her daughter & her friends. Of course, she had no friends, since they never considered themselves as such, but Mal & the boys had indeed become good friends of Evie. She could escape to Auradon, seek out Evie & hope she could keep hidden, but her Mirror had already shown that a new barrier was now erected over the school Evie stayed at. She could never hope to cross it & her old castle was now property of Snowhite, whom she wished to avoid at all costs. Indeed, at some point she had loved the girl as her own daughter before her jealousy had turned that love in bitter hatred, but now she only felt shame & guilt. True, she still felt that Snowhite had treated her horribly, but had she not done the same? She had tried to get her assassinated & then poisoned her. Of course, she still lived & those vengeful dwarves had killed Grimhilde in return. But even the dwarves didn’t bother her anymore. She was happy to imagine that she’d be left alone if she did the same to them. She sighed again as she let the Mirror show other scenes. Agrabah, Seaside, Auradon central, Neverland, … It looped aerial shots of the various kingdoms before it flashed an image, which was obviously anything but aerial. “Mirror, stop. Show the last image.” She commanded as she sat upright, studying the scene intensely. A massive chamber filled with dark-blue light, with something enormous stirring in the depths of the floor, enormous pillars holding up a domed ceiling. It looked as if at night or under water. “Mirror, explain.” She commanded, but the Mirror remained silent. It merely stated “The Watcher in the Deep” & nothing more. Where was this, she pondered as she let the Mirror return to flashing aerial images.

Harper understood now, as he kept reading the hieroglyphs. He shook in fear as he watched back at the door, behind which he now knew would be waiting that dreadful monster, the Watcher in the Deep, the Kraken. That eldritch creature which legend always associated to the words “Ph'nglui mglw'nafh wgah'nagl fhtagn”. The Guardian of the very Abyss, said to have razed the primordial world when the stars were still young & fire had covered the lands…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you found the Easter Egg? :D
> 
> Edit; Added extra dialogue, extra descriptions, extended the nightmare-scene, added extra summary. Upped word-count to 4700.


	19. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confrontation, a meeting of persons face to face or a bringing together of ideas, themes, etc., for comparison. Confrontation can range from old foes meeting again or from people discovering the truth about their feelings or being uncertain about how they feel about things.
> 
> Confrontation for one person never means the same as it would do for others, especially when the different ideas are as diverse as hatred & love.

King Eric stood fixed in horror, watching the undulating sea being heaved from above its own bed, thrown high into the sky as an titanic serpent raised its back from the depths below. Ursula had arrived & her pets were now encircling Seaside, their arching backs heaving the sea aside & blocking the waves that would otherwise allow ships to glide away. Enormous scales, each the size of houses, iridescent in a myriad of colours & smooth as glass yet stronger than steel, were now heaving up before King Eric’s eyes, as the arched backs drew nearer the coast, closing in on the moored boats. Abandoning their ships in haste, the crews barely made land when behind them, in a large cacophony of sound & noise, their ships was pressed against the rocky coast & reduced to driftwood splinters. Indeed, these enormous bodies seemed to hug the entire coastline as far as Eric could see, before he had turned on his horse & fled back towards the castle. His horse neighed in panicked fear as he spurred it on towards the capital, the back of those titan-serpents shining in the sunlight that pierced the clouds above as the eye of the storm slowly passed over Seaside. Near the canal-bay, where ships were hurriedly riding in to save themselves from the approaching serpents, Flotsam & Jetsam locked themselves together with bite & tail. Ursula, raising herself above the waves & rising above her titan pets, merely cackled as she watched the people flee below her, panic-stricken & horror-struck. Her storm was now engulfing the island, its eye slowly settling above the capital as its raging winds tormented the coastline. No ship would leave this cursed place ever again, if Ursula would have her say. In the distance before her, she could already spy the capital, where that treacherous sea urchin Ariel was hiding from her. Ursula smiled in anticipation as walls collapsed before her advancing form…

Ariel sat stricken with fear as she had seen the enormous things rise from the coast & crash against the rocky cliffs, making ships explode in debris as if mere toys. The tremor had travelled all the way here, where it had shook the castle & rocked the surrounding town. Anywhere she looked, all around the island, these dreadful things had risen & far into the distance, she had been horrified to see two enormous heads raise from the water & lock their jaws together, as if to make sure they would never part & imprison the island forever. And then she had recognized those heads & the small figure, which had seemed to leap over them. Her heart stopped for a few seconds as she had kept her breath in horrified fear. Ursula was here & she had transformed her pets into those monstrous titans, which had taken her land hostage. Which could mean only one thing, that she had the trident & her father would be death without a doubt. She felt her courage waver as she imagined a life without him, without the man that raised her, had protected her, had given her everything she ever needed. Ron had sensed his mother’s grief & had quickly settled against her, trying his best to calm her as she began to shake in anger & fear. “Mom, it’ll be okay, you’ll see – we’ll stop that old hag, no worries.” His voice trembled, as he wasn’t’ sure how they could ever fight against Ursula now. Back when, they had been lucky but here they had no defences, safe perhaps for their guards. But he knew that against the trident no one could win.

Aria was frantically searching her books for a spell when she had seen the things rise from the sea in the distance. She had instantly known what would happen next & was flipping through pages at lightning speed, ripping some books nearly in half out of frustration before she had settled on a promising potion. Quickly gathering the various ingredients & hastily throwing them in the cauldron she had a servant fetch for her, she started muttering the incantation as she watched the heads rise & lock together above the coast. “Magna dea Lunaris lux et magistra aqua. Magna dea Nox Mystis et mysteria. In hoc loco aut mixtam fortitudo et cum prope vitrum. Protege et fortitudo tua terribilis aegrae vibrationum effuge!” As she finished the chanted words, she felt a strong wind pull through her chamber, as the contents of the cauldron began glowing brightly & burned up into windborne embers, whipped through the open window into the sky outside, where the embers glowed brightly as they ascended skywards. Hoping the spell worked, Aria started back down through the stairways to her mother & Ron, hoping they’d have some more time now before the inevitable would happen & Ursula’s rage would engulf them all…

Harper stood trembling before the door when a strong tremor shook through the island, reverberating through the bedrock about him & sounding like an enormous bell was tolling the death of the island. As he tried not to be swept away by the churning water, he looked in horror as the tremor made the capstone in the aperture slide away sideward. A thin space appeared between stone & aperture, beyond which an inky darkness, almost tangible to sight & touch, lay hidden & became exposed the illumination of the floodlights Harper was still carrying. Horror-stricken at what undoubtedly lied behind that enormous capstone, Harper contemplated running from the place, swimming back upwards & forgetting he ever came down here, but as he stood trembling in contemplation, he could feel a rumble, not from the island but from within the aperture. Something was stirring behind it, disturbed for the first time in countless years, calling out to him, taking a hold over his conscious mind as he tried to struggle against it. Drawn to the presence, which now oozed through the slit, into his conscious self, Harper could hear a low whining sound, which he recognized as a call, a song almost. The rumble too, he supposed, was a whine, simply too low to be understood as anything but a tremble through the world. Whatever sat behind the capstone, it was big, bigger still than even the largest whales, that much was clear. He had read about the Watcher in the Deep, what surface-dwellers called the Kraken & Merpeople knew as the Leviathan. Nobody could tell the truth about its origins, behaviour or eventual faith. It was old, much older than any civilisation still speaking about it, and only rumours & suggestions were known. Some said it was the devil’s pet, while others claimed it would bring about an end to all life on land, as it would raise the seas & drown the surface above. He knew the truth now, it being a hybrid creature made by the first human civilisation at the height of its power, intended to guard its cities & the oceans it controlled. And Harper could feel it tugging at his will, calling to him, bidding him welcome into the chamber where it had been dwelling in captivity for countless years. He tried to scream as his body forced itself through the slit, into the chamber behind, but found his voice no longer responded, as he saw the darkness take hold of his vision…

The first attack came as soon as the strange cloud had passed over the great Wall. A flock of horrendous flying beasts, gibbering & chattering, born on great & terrible leathery & feathery wings, as they had swept down, began grapping guards & flinging them off the wall into the sands many meters below. Bearing some away while letting most fall after a few paces, the beasts turned their attention to the nearest slums where they had begun to assault watchers & late outgoers. Guards quickly assembling on the roofs with spears & bows, they started tackling the beasts, drawing their attention away from the citizens, as they started shooting them down & cleaving them apart with their scimitars. But as every beast was hewn down, they horribly & miraculously re-assembled into their loathsome shapes before they started their assaults anew. As the cloud advanced, more of the abominations began to sweep down from within, targeting random civilians before always turning their attention to guards that would show up to fight them. All the while, bright flashes illuminated the cloud from within, until crackling whips of lightning started bolting out from it, striking polished domes & shattering high standing turrets. Aladdin kept an eye on it as it neared the palace. He could already hear the all-too-known cackle from the perpetrator within, as he ordered his guards to take Jasmine & his children away, telling them to flee the Palace & escape Agrabah before they could be captured. Jasmine protested against this, as she pulled Aladdin away from the window. “I am not leaving you! Not then, not now, not ever! We beat him once before, twice again & thrice now! Let him come!” She had no time to finish her defence as the wall behind them was suddenly ripped away, tumbling into the sky outside as the cloud had finally reached the palace & was readily dissipating. The cackling was overwhelming now, quite suddenly, as finally Jafar stepped out from the cloud & set his foot down on Agrabah soil for the first time in decades. “Good evening, prince Abooboo! Missed me?”

The shadows surrounded them as soon as the Red Queen finished her sentence, eagerly clawing it their garments, begging for the spoken & wished deal to be ushered reality. Sighing & knowing what was expected, Facilier swiped his hand over his face to summon the all-too-known skull-masque while his Friends began to fully manifest themselves about them, as beyond the walls of reality itself drums began to beat & music began. Flopping & gibbering, languidly moving & flitting from view, they began to dance on the walls, as the light from outside seemed to dim. “Byenveni, zanmi, menm jan nou prepare yon kontra! Se pou nou lanmen ankò!” Facilier spoke in dreamy voice as his eyes glazed over while the Red Queen merely looked on contended. “What deal do you wish to make, your majesty?” She grinned as she whispered the wish into his ear, making him frown in confusion before he spoke again. “Are you sure, Madame? There is no way back & the payment shall be costly indeed.” She merely nodded as Facilier whispered to the shadows before turning again to her, hand outstretched to conclude the deal. “Are we in agreement?” She took his hand, firmly grasping it, as she merely agreed. “We are.”

Ben stood bent over his desk as he kept an eye on the updates, his eyes scanning the screen before him every minute, anxious to see what else changed. Ursula was nearing or had arrived at Seaside, no way of knowing for sure due to interference from the storm, which was resting above Seaside now. Jafar had seemingly entered Agrabah, but reports were vague & uncertain, as Aladdin hadn’t yet send word. The Evil Queen had tried to contact Auradon a few times, for reasons yet unknown as security wasn’t sure it to be a good idea to speak with her. The Horned King was still on the Isle, obviously hiding in Maleficent’s old castle as his display of power had proven, biding his time, as security feared the worst as it seemed he had reconnected the Forbidden Fortress to the main-body of the Isle. Facilier was nowhere to be found, for some reason or another, as security kept searching for him all over the Isle in vain. The Red Queen was still holed up in her castle, having withdrawn all her servants into it the moment the breakout happened. Yzma & Madame Mim were holing up in Ursula’s caves now that the old witch was gone, no doubt brewing some potions now that Yzma had access to the ingredients for the first time in two decades. Hook & his crew were halfway around the Auradonean east coast, steadily sailing for Neverland, as Ben’s own naval ships kept tracking them, ready to interfere at any time. For all his knowing of these things, Ben had the strangest sensation that he was missing pivotal information, was not seeing the most important even from unfolding, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Mal had visited him a few times the last day, keeping an eye out for him & informing him of rumours & claims surrounding the students still present & any action their parents might take.

Ben was still gazing at the screens when a knock on the door broke his focus. Turning around & bidding welcome, he had expected to see Mal coming up to check on him again but was pleased to see his grandfather Maurice enter his room. His grandfather, though yet in his late eighties & needing a walking cane to even travel short distances, had always spared time to visit him whenever he could. “Grandfather, I’m glad to see you!” Ben hugged him as he bade him seated & offered the elderly scholar tea & scones. “I’m glad to see you too, Ben, especially with this business. It’s why I came, you see, might be the last time for all we know. Belle’s mighty anxious, you know, now that Adam has declared the Auradonean Forces to be deployed all round the kingdom to protect the royalty & largest cities.” Ben nodded as he poured some tea, setting the pot aside for later as he began to drink while Maurice continued. “Your father wants to deploy that new machine I showed you last year, big fool as he is. We haven’t had time to properly update it after that first test. Hell, I’m amazed we even managed to simply repair the thing after that original test. It had nearly blown us all up!” Maurice waves his cane in anger as he vented his rage at Adam’s rash decision, something Ben knew all too well. Nothing could persuade Adam from his own decisions once he had taken them, something which Belle claimed was still a part of the Beast he had once been. “If he dares to use it, I swear to my lucky oilcan, I’ll give him a good caning as he oughta deserve. We should’ve never build that infernal thing!” Maurice sputtered as he shakingly took his cup & sipped the tea, his mood taking a sharp turn, as he tasted the blend with vigour. “Ah, jasmine & rose blend. Lovely blend, my boy, best yet in my opinion. You’d make a master tea-blender yet, mark my words.” Maurice hushed as he gave Ben a wink. Ben had always enjoyed making blends for tea, finding incredible calm in the process of selecting the ingredients & tasting them.

“Exactly what kind of machine is it, grandfather? You never explained just what it did or what is was designed for?” Ben asked timidly, knowing Maurice hated this mystery automaton, despite having spent years on its design. Maurice sighed, deciding Ben oughta have all answers now that he was King-in-training. “It’s a machine designed to siphon thaumic energy, to suck away magical energy. It was intended to be used for the neutralisation of dangerous magical artefacts like Maleficent’s sceptre or Jafar’s staff. We spend years perfecting it, but when we tried using it on the Spellbook of the Sanderson’s’ Coven, it had nearly blown up. Had it blown up, I’m afraid to say, it would have taken the whole of Central Auradon with it. That’s why I’m so reluctant to even repair it, Ben. If this thing would do the same again & fall in the wrong hands, we’d have a bomb to fear.” Ben swallowed at this idea, feeling his stomach tighten as fear gripped his heart & made it skip a few beats. “God, why wasn’t it destroyed?” Ben asked as Maurice drank from his tea again before replying. “Because it had done its job almost perfectly, Ben. The Spellbook had been neutralized, turned to fine dust once its magical energy had siphoned into the machine. That’s why it nearly blew, as it couldn’t contain or process the energy adequately. It overloaded, blew the magic out into the air as raw power & sterilized the testing grounds around it in a radius of a hundred meters. Heck, it was even radioactive for a few seconds! Imagine something like that trying to process the power of an artefact like Triton’s Trident! It would sterilize the entire kingdom if it merely just vented the raw energy.” Ben’s mind reeled at this revelation! A machine that could destroy magical artefacts without magical intervention. It could mean the end for all their problems or it could mean the beginning of their own end. No wonder his father wished to use it against the villains, it would make short work of their magical powers & make them as human as possible.

Maurice watched Ben as the boy clutched his head & wondered over the implications of what he had just heard. Maurice didn’t like to see his grandson like this, especially at a time where he should be comforted by his parents & not try to take on his full royal duties all on his one. Standing up, clutching at the cane while rising, Maurice walked over & patted Ben on the shoulder. “Now, now, Ben. No worries, the machine is quite safe. It’s kept in the Cave of Wonders, along with the rest of my inventions, safe in the lab where nobody can find them.” Ben released his head from his grip & looked up at his grandfather, his distraught face contorted with disbelief. “The Cave of Wonders? Why, grandfather, you never told me that’s where your lab is!” Maurice chuckled, satisfied to have wrenched the boy’s thoughts away from doomfull thinking. “Why, of course I wouldn’t tell just about anyone, now would I? A man needs to keep some secrets after all. Plus it’s a tricky place to find without the proper guidance & with Aladdin’s help, it was easily made into a very well kept secret laboratory. Of course, it has changed location every so often since I settled in, as to remain a Cave of Wonders after all. And to be honest, even I haven’t still seen every of its many rooms, even after this many years of exploring it!” Maurice laughed as he patted Ben on the shoulders again, before he walked off towards the door. “Anyway, Ben, loved the tea! Superb blend indeed! You should go commercial, sell it on the market! If King isn’t your thing, Tea-blender will be. Good night, my boy. Try to sleep & get needed rest, before all this,” he waved his cane at the screens that filled the wall, “makes you lose your mind! If you don’t, I’ll send Mal & Belle after you. They’d make sure you would!” Seeing his grandfather out & realizing the old man was right, he quickly undressed. Stripping from his royal costume down to his crown-print navy-blue boxers, Ben slipped into his bed as he turned off the light & tried to get some sleep.

But no matter how hard he tried, he remained wide-awake, staring at his ceiling as the minutes ticked by, his mind racing. He didn’t feel tired or exhausted, only tensed up & unnerved. How could he fall asleep when dreadful things could happen at any minute to any of his friends? What if Mal got hurt? Or Chad? Chad, why was he thinking about Chad again? Ben tossed, turning on his side, arm beneath his head as he tried to focus on something else. But now that Chad had gotten on his mind, it wouldn’t turn away from thinking about the blond prince. Gods, why did he knot Chad? Ben groaned as he flipped on his back again, his hands clutching his face in frustration as his memory played the entire scene back, second per second. It had been several months, but the memory still got him hard every time he thought about it. He had liked it more than he had wished to even admit to himself, that much he had silently agreed on with his subconscious self. Somehow, knotting Chad in that shower stall was of importance to his young mind, in some strange way he couldn’t even grasp at the moment. It wasn’t love, he told himself, because that’s what he felt for Mal, right? He liked Mal dearly, dear enough that their coming-togethers could get his knot up every time. If he didn’t love her, that couldn’t happen, he knew that. Perhaps you could feel true love for multiple people? “Gods, what’s wrong with me?” Ben whispered as he flipped himself on his stomach, trying to ignore his erection as it grinded against the matrass. Ben knew much about love, seeing how it was so pivotal in all the famous royal unions. True love versus wicked evil, etcetera… But doesn’t “True Love” imply that only one love is the True Love? His teachers & nurses never mentioned anything about someone having two True Loves. Frustrated, he got up again & powered on his laptop, determined to figure this stupid feeling out. Typing a few key words in the search engine, he went through the first results.

What came up was amazingly diverse & exact, especially for something he never heard from. The first site had an enormous list of different types of romanticism, annotated with an equally long list of sexualities & genders. It all struck Ben as strange, seeing how his parents, & every grown-up ever involved with his education, had ever mentioned typical monogamous straight relationships. True, sometimes they spoke about homosexual relationships, after all several famous heroes had had same-sex partners & were not despised for it, even tho it was frowned upon by certain people. But here Ben found a list as diverse as the possible feelings anyone ever could have! And there was the word which best corresponded with his own; Polyromantic, romantic attraction to multiple people. It struck him as as good a definition as his feelings should have. So he could feel love for two people, that much he now knew, but it could it be more than just two? He ruffled his hair as he kept reading on, stumbling across new definitions that seemed to imply that human romantics were as fluid as a river. He thought about the people he knew & how they made him feel. Almost all of them never struck his as more than just friends, but aside from Mal & Chad, there were a few whose friendship tugged a string in his heart. Carlos, cute as he was, definitely made him feel more on guard, as if Ben wanted to keep the boy from any harm, but whether this was because of love for the boy or because he reminded him of the small brother he’d never have, Ben wasn’t sure. Doug, his best friend ever since kindergarten, the love for which Ben knew to be platonic, but also nearly more. They had shared much together in their younger years & both knew stuff about the other nobody else did. Without a doubt, Doug qualified as his best friend, eve if they didn’t see each other much, but then again, best friends don’t need to. But no one else came to mind just yet, besides them.

Ben closed his laptop after reading a few other sites, slipping back into bed & noting it was already 4 am. He was glad to know just what his feelings were & was kinda happy that he was able to really love two people at once. But he didn’t yet know how to handle this information when it pertained to his relationship with Chad & Mal. Again, the shower stall-memory aroused him & Ben decided he might as well go with it. He was felling less awake now, but he knew that blissful drowsy post-orgasm feeling would send him asleep in a matter of minutes. Slowly he began to stroke his erection as he re-imagined that pleasant feeling of being buried in Chad, pumping that royal ass like it was his & only his. Gods, Chad had been so tight, that even just imagining being back inside of him send Ben over his edge in less than a minute. Moaning loudly as his cum was ejected unto his bare chest, Ben could almost feel how he came in Chad that time. Drowsiness overtaking him quickly as he lay panting, still enjoying the lingering buzz of his climax, Ben just managed to clean his cum from his chest before he fell asleep, his thoughts still on Chad…

Chad too could not sleep that night, after having been called back to his parent’s castle due to the threat of the villains. His parents feared possible repraiselles by the Evil Queen & had their entire small kingdom on high alert, even though there were no indications that Grimhilde had even left the Isle. Chad had been stuck in his wing of the castle for the entire day, furious at his parents for whisking him away from Auradon Prep & his friends. Especially Ben he was worried about, knowing too well that the young King would worry he wasn’t doing enough & would punish himself by ignoring sleep & food if not watched over by somebody like Mal or himself. He had tried calling Ben a few times throughout the day, but had either gotten Mal or voicemail. When Mal had picked up & asked what was wrong, Chad had surprisingly enough decided to be upfront & simply stated that he was worried, worried that Ben would maltreat himself in his urge to help everybody else before helping himself. Mal, even more surprisingly to both of them, had agreed with Chad & had promised she’d keep an extra eye out on Ben for Chad’s sake. Chad had known their mutual dislike of each other had waned over the months, as it had with Jay whom had kept his knowing about Ben’s & Chad’s meeting in the shower stall a secret to everyone but Ben & Chad. Chad had begun to feel extremely bad after the first month past Maleficent’s defeat, as he had realized just how unfairly he had treated them. But of all the kids, only Carlos had come upfront & said he felt the same way about Chad & the other royal kids on Auradon. It had pleasantly surprised Chad when Carlos had confessed this to all of them & afterwards Chad had made sure Carlos wouldn’t become a target of teasing & bullying during Tourney-practice. It had earned him Jay’s approval, but this had only become apparent to Chad after Jay had kept his mouth about “it”. 

He only regretted his snapping out to Carlos & Jay sometime after the first month when he had his rut kick in mid-lesson. He had been extremely irritated & when Jay had bumped against him, something in Chad had snapped, causing him to snap out to the pair without reason. Jay had hit him then, knocked him into the infirmary a day later because Chad hadn’t stopped insulting them in his rut-irritation. Because of that, Carlos had gotten an anxiety-attack & while Jay had beaten Chad hard enough for Chad to need bandages afterwards, Chad had still apologized a few weeks afterwards, when his rut had ended & the wounds healed. Jay had only begrudgingly accepted his apology, but since then, things between the three of them had become much better indeed.

Chad was absentmindedly playing some old video-game as the hours ticked by, before he received a text from Mal, which simply stated “Ben s fine, made sure h 8 & send word 2 parents 2 distract m.” Chad took a few seconds before figuring the text out, being a bit unused to Mal’s abbreviated texting. Sure, he & his friends did the same, but she did it in a way which was too efficient at times to be immediately readable. Texting back a thanks, he put away the cell phone as he decided to go sleep, more at ease now that he knew Ben was fine. Ditching his clothes & losing his briefs before putting on shorts, Chad made sure he was a bit washed up before hitting the sack. He knew that he’d probably be unable to sleep before he jerked off a bit, so he quickly lowered his shorts a bit as he lay down before starting to stroke himself. He had already masturbated a fair few times that day, mainly out of boredom, but anytime he remembered Ben’s knot in the shower, his hormones began to rage again & made his body ready for yet another round. This time, it took him a while, as he began fingering himself as he pulled his foreskin back & forth, edging for a while before he forced a few knuckles inside in imitation of Ben’s knot. Hitting his prostrate in full force & sending an electric shock through his body, Chad almost yelled in ecstasy as he came on his stomach. Even after so many orgasms that day, it hit him hard & it took a while before he managed to snap out of the afterburning of the orgasm. Too tired to clean up properly, Chad merely wiped his fingers on a tissue & flung it off into the distance of his room before he fell asleep with his stomach still wet from his cum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making Ben poly-romantic, feeling True Love for both Chad & Mal, was not premeditated at all, but rather developed as my writing went along. I reason that Ben was always raised as being loving of everyone, no matter their heritage or background. Of course, his parents never imagined he'd use that loving nature to rehabilitate the children of their worst foes, but sometimes children have to find the courage to right the wrongs of their parents & show that blood does not dictate one's character. In truth, I think Ben could even be pansexual or at least demisexual, able to love anyone truly if they have a good connection.
> 
> Just to be clear here though, Ben loves Carlos - at this point in the story anyway & without any wish from me to change that at this moment, as a little brother! It might - not necessarily, become something more, but that's not the plan at the moment. Sorry, Benlos captains!  
> Ben loves Doug as his best friend, as much as possible before a platonic love becomes a romantic one! Yes, I have not forgotten the supertiny story-arc of Evie wanting Ben to knot Doug & ease his rutts, but I'm afraid that one ain't being concluded anytime soon. Sorry!
> 
> I have considered making Ben feel about Jay as if he's Ben's strong big brother, but I don't feel they have that kind of chemistry, at least not in this story - just yet.
> 
> Edit; Added extra dialogue, an additional paragraph to Chad's POV, upped word-count to 5000.


	20. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Release; to allow (a person or animal) to leave a jail, cage, prison, etc. Or to set (someone or something) free.
> 
> Release comes in many forms, both allegorical as literally, as a very important trope in any manner of drama, tragedy or love-story. It details the tragic past of a pained figure by ultimately showing it does not bind them in any real way to their present or future & that they are free to make their own choices instead of repeating old mistakes by tradition or out of fear.

Harper was afraid, actually he was more than mortally afraid. His body was still possessed by this vast & overpowering consciousness, which absolutely filled the enormous cavernous space he had just unwillingly entered, forcing him to approach further into the chamber. The floodlights, still attached to his body via the vest, were flickering now as the colder water here interfered with their regulators, cascading the empty space before him in a stroboscopic illumination. He swore he could see something move beneath him, but he couldn’t turn his head downwards to inspect it closer. As the floodlight slowly began to dim now that their power-output was beginning to fail, he spotted the faint luminosity of the vast surfaces around him for the first time. Just behind him, framing the aperture & going around the vast domed space, rough-hewn pillars stood about five meters away from the slowly inward-sloping wall, separated from each other by ten or so meters. Each pillar being clearly hewn from a single piece of rock, their diameter being at least fifty centimetres, their surfaces were smooth as glass. A second row of pillars, thicker than the first by at least twenty more centimetre & much higher reaching, stood at least twenty meters from the first row & standing separated individually by about thirty meters each, they framed the smooth floor. Beyond this row, starting towards the centre, the smooth floor gave way to firstly cracked tiles & then simple debris. All about this, on every vertical & downward-facing surface was luminous seaweed, clearly glowing due to some chemical process, which Harper could faintly guess as he remembered the biology of fireflies. He was about to cross beyond this second row of pillars, when that overlording mind called out & made him stop before the threshold. Before him, spread unevenly about the centre of the room, broken, cracked & whole columns rose upwards, seemingly without pattern. And then the voice came, that terribly powerful yet soothing voice which seemed to drown out his very personality & focussed his mind totally on its existence & nothing else.

“Child.” It spoke, seemingly softly, almost whisperingly, but it resonated so loudly within his mind that Harper though his ears would bleed from the auditory attack. But he felt it was not through his ears that this voice spoke. No, instead, it spoke directly to him, bypassing all his bodily senses & manifesting itself within his thoughts. “Telepathy, how is that possible?” Harper said, his lips given freedom once more as he forgot about his fear & was already going over all the possibilities of what could make this happen, make this possible. He could see more clearly now, as he cautiously craned his neck about & took in the surroundings. The chemical illumination had become stronger or he had become more accustomed to the dark, probably both as he had spent a few minutes in this darkness by now. He could see the seaweed cross almost the entire ceiling, save for those places where cracks had formed or debris fallen out & it hadn’t yet grown into again. He saw that indeed this chamber was slowly collapsing, as wide fissures crisscrossed over older ones where seaweed was already growing into. The whole gave him the sensation of a starry night, with lesser bands of light being crossed by galaxies & comets. Then he turned his attention to the floor & saw that it was indeed changing the closer it got to the centre. Beyond the second row of pillars, before it reached the first freestanding pillars past that, the floor was almost absent in certain places, as Harper saw that in the centre a great pit lay or should lay as the floor gave way to an inky darkness that seemed non-solid. But that was not entirely true, now that he looked closer. Exiting from the pit, at irregular intervals, enormous bands of stone lay sprawled across the ruined floor, with some of these bands nearly balancing against the standing columns. Were these columns that had fallen over? They couldn’t be, as some bands were curved & not linear. Then Harper realized with a shudder what creature he was now seeing for the first time, as he recognized those bands for what they were.

The bands, indeed as Harper thought of them before realisation set in, were not bands at all, but massive tentacles, unmoving & resting upon the floor around him, spreading about the domed room like a strange flower. Ten of these bands he could discern, though he knew many more might be hidden in that chasm far before him. “Calm.” The voice rang again, softer now as if knowing it had hurt Harper before. Harper breathed in & out, relaxing his breathing as he composed his thoughts & calculate the possible ways this could end. Way one would see him smashed to pulp. Way two would see him eaten alive. Way three would see him frantically trying to escape, but get caught & beaten to a pulp… His chances were exceedingly slim, he concluded before he though that at least he could try & simply speak with the thing that was resting in the pit. “What are you?” He said, keeping his voice calm & steady while he clenched & relaxed his fist in repetition. A brooding silence commenced, during which the entire room felt like it was thinking of a proper response. After a minute or two, the thing in the pit still hadn’t answered & Harper felt worried that he might have said something wrong, about to be beaten to a pulp by any of those enormous tentacles at any moment. Then, as if to confirm his fears, the bands had started to move, but not towards him. Slowly slithering into the pit far before him, the tentacles seemed to retreat to their owner as a low rumbling began while a pressure started from within the pit. Water rushed pashed him, pulling him into & away from the pit at the same time, as an enormous body heaved itself from its nest into view of the small thing standing before it. Harper nearly fainted as he saw the titanous bulk of the Kraken appear from the pit, which now seemed too small to ever hold so massive a thing. 

The Kraken was simply titanic, dwarfing even the biggest whales to guppies when compared to it. Ten tentacles erupted from its main-bulk, while a host of smaller tentacles, almost tendrils in comparison of size, covered much of the space beneath the bulk. An enormous hood, like of an octopus, frilled behind this bulk, with gigantic eyes, each the size of small house, that protruded from the hood on massive stalks as thick as elephants. Incredibly alike an octopus, yet vaguely & distinctly different, its colours were both obvious & subtle. Mostly a deep-dark brown, easily mistaken for mud, it was at places adorned with enormous streaks of violet-blue that almost shone like light. Indeed, if viewed from above in the right conditions, Harper thought that it would appear as nothing more but the simple seabed upon which it would rest. Underneath the bulk, tendrils sprouting away from it like petals, a beak rested within folds of skin decorated with spikes, no doubt to funnel prey into it. This beak, with each jaw the size of a whale, looked underused, looking as if hadn’t been self-sharpened in decades as craggy edges scraped over each other & chipped the excess growths. Evidently, this creature hadn’t had decent prey for many years or had spent many years merely slumbering & sleeping. Now that he could see it, Harper found it less threatening than the frescos he had seen depicting it. Perhaps the frescos had been excegarated, perhaps it had been more aggressive-looking when younger, who could tell? After all, many species become more docile when old age is reached & their aging anatomy often follows this, like in humans where the elderly become frail-looking…

The titan silently stood hovering before him, nearly filling the entirety of the room, grasping the central pillars as it anchored itself midway of the dome. Its eyes rested on Harper, as if judging his worth as it clicked its beak in anticipation before Harper moved his head away from the sight. This enormous creature filled his instincts with fear, yet his conscious mind felt there was nothing to fear from it as he took in the details of the beast before him. The first thing that came to his mind was the image of an aged soldier who regrets his life of battles. “Free.” The voice echoed again, almost audible now as it seemed to shake the room about them. Harper looked in wonder at the Kraken, wondering why it spoke to him. “You want me to free you? But why? I mean, why me? What can someone like me ever do to help you get free?” The Kraken seemed to look down on him, as Harper spoke. It felt like being watched by a teacher who expects you to figure out the answer to their questions on your own, before they give up & tell you the answer anyway. “Chosen. Destiny.” Harper didn’t understand, as he stood puzzled, settling down on the ruined floor as he clutched at his hair, trying desperately to understand. “You’re joking, right? Why would a thing like you need someone like me to free it? Can’t you easily break out on your own? What do you expect me to do, destroy the ceiling?” Harper gestured at the cracked dome above them as the Kraken seemed to partially settle down into the pit again, following his example of sitting down. “Agree. Bind contract. I need… Permission.” Harper looked in puzzlement as he processed the words. “What, like a master who agrees you can come out now? Is that why you’re here? Did your previous master lock you up down here?” A thought struck Harper’s mind as he remembered how Triton had raised the island from the seabed. Triton would know about a thing like this being down here, otherwise he wouldn’t have let it remain here or build Seaside somewhere else. That’d imply that Triton was the Kraken’s master – or previous master at least. If Triton was the Kraken’s last master, it would explain why it was kept beneath Seaside, why this domed room existed & why it hadn’t broken out. It was probably still bound to Triton’s magic, but now that his grandfather seemed death, perhaps that meant the ownership was passed down to the next worthy person. The Kraken hummed as it began to sing, its eerie wail reverberating through the dome & into the rock. “Triton locked. You are master now.” Harper realized that he was indeed right, as the Kraken had spoken, he was the Kraken’s master now. But why him & not one of his older siblings? As if guessing his thoughts, the Kraken continued speaking, interrupting Harper’s thoughts. “Fair. Others strong in own rights. You strong with me.” 

Evie was still studying for her homework early in the morning when Doug knocked & said Ben wanted to see her as fast as possible. Muttering that it had something to do about her mother, which had made her exit the chamber in haste, Doug let Evie pass as Mal held him back from following her. “This is for her, Doug, not you. She’ll tell whatever it’s about anyway later. You know she trusts you, so just let her be at the moment.” Evie would’ve thanked Mal if she hadn’t run off so quickly in order to know what Ben wished to talk about concerning her mother. She hadn’t heard of her mother for nearly a week now & ever since the breakout the day before yesterday, she had nearly become frantic in worry. The only thing able to distract her had been her homework, which she liked to do as it helped her order things mentally & calm down. Running through the corridors to Ben’s room, she avoided the busier hallways where the remaining students of Auradon Prep tended to occupy nowadays. They were all afraid of the developing situation, especially now that contact with Agrabah & Seaside had been cut off & no one knew what exactly was happening. She reached Ben’s dorm & opened without knocking, barely startling a very occupied Ben who was on the phone while pouring over the computer screens. He motioned her to wait as he rounded off the call. “Yes, mother, I did. No, he didn’t. Well, if it comes down to it, try to persuade dad not to use it, okay? Okay. Bye, mom. Love you too.” He hang up the phone as he turned to Evie, rummaging through his papers before he took up a few & gave them to her.

“Your mother has contacted us a few hours ago, gave us very good information on several things we weren’t sure about until now. Her only request for handing over this information was to be given a chance to rehabilitate & see you again.” He said as Evie shakingly took the papers & riffled them through, trembling with excitement. “I’m not one to break promises, Evie, so I have arranged for your mother to be brought here today. Auradon Forces are already moving into the Isle of the Lost, evacuating any straggling villains left behind & placing them under protective arrest for the moment, to keep them from escaping & to keep them safe from Jafar & Ursula who have seemed to have regained their old powers. Your mother said she had retreated to your old home, where she will be picked up in a few hours after she has packed. However, several high-profile villains are still on the Isle & might delay the operation, if they decide to attack or become a nuisance in any way.” Evie nodded as Ben explained it all to her, holding back tears of joy as she clutched the papers tightly. “Thank you so much, Ben. You can’t believe how much this means to me!” She laughed as she flung herself about him & hugged him tightly. She happily skipped off as she left his room, back to her own dorm where Mal was still waiting. Mal was surprised to find Evie in such a good mood after her intense studies & bad tempers of the past week. When Evie explained, Mal was ecstatic for her. “That’s awesome, E! What are you gonna do when she arrives?” Evie didn’t know, as she had just been happy she’d finally see her mother again. “Perhaps we can quickly plan a welcome-party? I mean, with your magic, M, we can quickly organise it, no? I mean, I know this might not be the right moment for a party, but it might distract everybody from the situation & help them relax a bit.” Mal pondered over the suggestion a while. “I could, but I’d have to concentrate pretty hard. I shouldn’t be interrupted, or else we might receive another Mort. And you’re right! A part is just what the student need at the moment. We all need to calm down a bit.” She glanced at the squishy thing that still inhabited the weighed-down fishbowl as she smiled back at Evie & gave her a long hug.

“Okay! We need cupcakes, a large banner, and decorative party-stuff! Oh, I already have a theme! We need it all in pink & blue, soft pastels, not primaries! Oh, and no fizzy drinks! Only juices! My mother loves fresh juice, sold most of our old fortune for the freshest juices on the Isle!” Evie clapped her hands excitedly, as she began to rummage through her trunk, pulling out papers & craft supplies while hastily describing certain things to Mal. Mal sighed, deciding Evie could certainly use the distraction to keep her mind of the entire situation. Preparing herself mentally to conjure the needed supplies, Mal cleared a large space in their room as she imagined the things in her mind, keeping them clearly on her minds eye as she began the incantation. Swishing her hands around, she curled the raw magic before her into shape, manifesting a large banner into being. It dropped on the ground before her as she lowered her hands, cautiously prodding it with her foot before picking it up & handing it to Evie. “Looks safe enough, didn’t try to bite me so… After you.” Evie excitedly took the banner from Mal & started sketching a large message on it in pencil as Mal turned back around & focussed on the next item. It went easy enough, as item per item manifested without problems & behaved as proper inanimate objects. After a while, a pile of party-supplies lay before their beds as Mal flopped in her own bed, exhausted by the mental exercise. “Sheesh, I’m beat. How long before she gets here, E?” Evie turned from the banner as she answered. “I think Ben said she was to arrive around one in the afternoon. We still have two hours left to prepare. Why don’t you go get Jay & Carlos? I’ll text Doug, he’ll be happy to help. Then I can also tell him what happened. I know he’s obviously curious about it, he always is.” Mal sighed as she lazily got up & went to get the boys, while Evie merely laughed & called Doug. 

Carlos & Jay had been studying History of Magic when Mal entered their room, asking if they wanted to help prepare the welcome-party of the Evil Queen. “Wait, what?” Carlos yelled as he fell off his bed in surprise, causing Jay to flail in an attempt to catch him wich failed miserably as Carlos hit the carpet with a loud thump & a pained yelp. Jay glared at Mal as he picked up Carlos who was trying to swat him off, claiming he could get up on his own very easily. “Well, Ben is gonna be rehabilitating E’s mother in exchange for information, so she’s arriving here today at around one o’clock. E wants to throw a welcome-party for her mother & to distract the student, so you guys will have to help get everything prepared, whether you want to or not.” Jay was about to complain before Carlos took him by the ear & pulled him along. “No buts, Jay, this is for Evie. We’re doing it!” He dragged the elder teen along, causing Mal to smirk at the scene as she closed the door & followed them. When they entered her dorm, Doug was already helping Evie fold the banner as they sat down. “Oh, hey Jay & Carlos! You can help pack the flags & hang them up in the entrance hall, okay? Mal, can you help me quickly bake some cupcakes? There should still be enough ingredients left in the kitchen. Doug, sweetie, you can bring the rest of the supplies to the hall as well. Jay & Carlos will help you, okay?” Reluctantly agreeing, wishing to get some sleep rather than to bake, Mal let her better side take over & went with Evie to the kitchen while the three boys went to prepare decorating the cafeteria. Evie gave Doug a quick peck on the cheek as she hurried after Mal, while Jay spoke to Doug. “I might be able to persuade Chad to help. He owes me so maybe he’ll come.”

Ben came by in the kitchen a few minutes later to inform Evie that her mother’s pick-up went without a hitch & she would arrive in less than an hour. Quickly putting the cookies in the oven, Evie left Mal & Ben to go get dressed. Mal settled herself on the counter as she set the timer, while Ben seated himself near her. She smiled at him when looked up at her. “Thanks for doing this, Ben. Evie really appreciates this, you know.” He smiled at her, rubbing her hand as she told him. “I know, but it’s not without reason, you know. She agreed to help us, so it’s only fair she gets to be reunited with Evie. But if she as much as threatens anyone, I fear my parents might send her back regardless.” Mal solemnly nodded, knowing that most of the royalty were still opposed to a possible continuation of Ben’s “experiment”. Certainly, if Snowhite found out, she’d be adamant to get Grimhilde back on the Isle as quick as possible. After all the abuse she had endured from Grimhilde, Snowhite had never forgiven the former queen for her sins. When Ben had proclaimed his intentions for retrieving & rehabilitating Evie & the others, she had been quite adamant never to support the experiment & had caused quite a stir when she had managed to rally several other royals behind her. It had taken quite a lot of negotiating by King Adam & Queen Belle before they had all finally given in & allowed the experiment to proceed as planned.

“Mal, we need to talk.” Ben looked serious, as Mal turned to him, looking worried. “What’s wrong, Ben?” Ben sighed as he took hold of her hands again, swallowing before he began. “I haven’t been entirely faithful, I fear.” He didn’t dare look Mal in the eyes as he continued. “I have had sex with someone else… I… I didn’t mean it to happen, but it did & I betrayed your trust. I’m so sorry, Mal. I know there’s no forgiving me, but I’m so sorry…” Mal didn’t say anything as Ben let go of her hands & turned his back to her, unable to look her in the eyes. Mal was momentarily stunned when Ben stopped, before she chuckled & began to laugh. Ben turned around, confused she was laughing instead of hating him, as she oughta. “Why are you laughing?” Mal clutched her stomach as she kept on laughing before finally sitting upright & trying to answer. “Seriously, Ben? You thought that I’d be angry?” She wheezed for air as she let herself down & gave him a playful hit on the shoulder. “On the Isle, it was seen as “good” if you weren’t faithful. Besides,” she shrugged as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, “I know there’s a difference between lust & love.” She gave him her trademarked grin & went to check on the cookies. “If you had sex & feel bad because you did, I’m not gonna add to the guilt. Sex is perfectly natural, silly. No reason to be ashamed about it.” She looked back at him while she hoisted herself back on the counter, still grinning at his confused looks. “Whom was it with?” He stepped back when she asked the question, unsure if he should tell her. “Euhm, well… Do you really wanna know?” He asked meekly, unsure whether she was joking or not, as he stared her in the eye. “You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to, but I at least want to know which lucky girl managed to seduce you, even after knowing she’d have to deal with me afterwards.” She replied with a sly grin, as Ben sat down, fidgeting with his hand, feeling as anxious as on the coronation. “It wasn’t a girl…” he muttered meekly, causing Mal to look at him in surprise. “A guy? Why, Ben, you sly fox. I never held you for someone so daring.” She grinned at him, as she jokingly toted at him. “Well then, Benny-boo, which guy enamoured the new king, huh?” Ben whispered softly as Mal watched him in glee. “Chad…”

Mal stared at him, mouth wide open as he looked away in embarrassment, fidgeting with his hands again, something he always did in moments of shame. She shook her head, unsure if she had misheard Ben, yet unwilling to believe. “Chad Charming? But… WHY? I mean, I don’t care if you like guys, Ben, but why Chad?” She looked at him questioningly, which didn’t make him feel more at ease. Ben groaned as he buried his head in hands, unsure if this had been a good idea after all. “Because, Mal, we’ve been friends ever since we were young. Plus, I might’ve been the reason he started rutting…” Mal looked puzzled when Ben looked up, as she stepped down from the counter again & draped her arm around his shoulders. “What do you mean, Ben? What happened between you two then?” Ben held Mal’s arm as he put his cheeks against hers, before going on. “When we were eleven, I spent a night at Chad’s during the summer. Chad had developed a crush on me, which I knew & I was planning on letting him down gently. But…” Ben sighed as he drooped his head, “Well, we were watching a scary movie & were sitting close when Chad became scared & had grabbed me, you know, burying his face in my neck and all… It, well, I hugged him, not knowing what else to do & then we kinda kissed. I don’t know how we got to it, but we did & we kept kissing for quite some time. It didn’t feel bad at the time & I loved doing it, but then we… did more…” Mal gave Ben a soft kiss when he groaned again in frustration. “Don’t worry, Ben. You wouldn’t be the first to fool around with their best friend, believe me. I know.” She said, giving him a meaningful smirk. “Is that why Chad started rutting? Because he genuinely believed that what he felt was True Love for you?” Ben nodded, to which she merely gave him a hug. “And the point is, I’m not sure if what I felt wasn’t also True Love. I mean, I didn’t have ruts, but now I think I do love him almost the same I love you, M. I feel guilty for it, for loving someone else as genuinely as I love you.” 

“Oh, Ben. I don’t mind, I really don’t. In fact, I find it admirable that you can love multiple people as much as you do love me. I found it difficult enough to figure out I love you, so I can’t imagine how frustrating it must have felt to you when you realized this. Have you know for long?” Ben shook his head as he held her hand, rubbing the back of it as he spoke. “Since a few days. The thing with Chad happened more than a month ago, but I didn’t know what to think about it & wanted to be sure how I felt before I’d tell you. It wouldn’t help either of us if neither of us would know what to feel about it. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you immediately.” Mal gripped him as she gave another kiss on his cheek, while she draped herself over his shoulders. “It’s okay, Ben. I don’t mind & will try my best never to tease Chad with it. I’m just most surprised about the fact that Chad’s an omega & in love with you of all people. I was sure he & Audrey would end up together again after the coronation.” Ben chuckled as she said this, standing up as he let her slide down his back carefully. “I’d appreciate that, especially since I love Chad more than just as a friend. Of course, you’ll always get the most of my love. After all, ” he smirked as he picked her up & gave her a long kiss, “you risked your life to defend me & everybody else. Could you handle it, seeing me & Chad together now that you know?” Mal smiled as she placed her forehead to his. “I think I can handle my boyfriend getting all chummy with the biggest jerk of Auradon after having to defeat my own mother as a dragon.” She smirked at her jib when she saw Ben wince at the joke. “Aw, come on! Don’t worry, Ben, really. If you want to do things with Chad, I won’t interfere. Just as long as you keep me updated & never forget to tell me. Me allowing it doesn’t mean I don’t want to know about it. After all,” she poked his nose with her finger as she let go of him & walked to the oven, “I like to be in the know.” She inspected the cookies again as Ben let out a deep sigh of relief, happy that Mal was as understanding as she was, having feared she’d be furious or extremely disappointed. He gave her a kiss, told her he’d go visit Chad to tell him right away & that he’d try to be back before evening. Grimhilde he would meet tomorrow anyway, he said, so they could properly meet then. She just had to make sure the introduction with the school would go okay. As he left the school & ordered his chauffeur towards the Charming Castle, he was glad to finally have talked with Mal. Now the only hurdle left was telling Chad.

Yzma was cackling like crazy as she threw in the last ingredient, finally finishing the potion she started with nearly two days ago. She had spent the better part of the first day draining the entire cave of that reviling seawater which had nearly filled it halfway. Lighting the cauldron had been less of a hassle than she had expected, seeing as it had started to a boil the moment she had thrown in the first ingredient. Magical cauldrons were quite useful, she thought as she had begun her painstaking project. If successful, this potion would help Mim regain full control over her transformative powers, which had seemed to be stunned after decades of disuse & neglect. Even just changing her height had been taxing for the old sorceress, who had spent the past day in the driest part of the cave inspecting Ursula’s mementos in her fits of boredom. The last ingredient willingly dissolved into the brew within seconds when it hit the liquid surface, churning the brew from a sickly-green colour into a vibrant emerald liquid. The smell too abruptly changed, from that of rotten meat to a sweet fragrance that reminded Yzma of the flowers that had grown in Cuzco’s palace-gardens. Bottling the brew in a vial, after which it instantly drained from the cauldron, Yzma smiled as she inspected the contents against the sunlight, which began to stream into the cave. Morning was barely around the corner & the first rays of light were flowing through the clear heavens outside. Ever since Ursula had left & the Horned King stopped his display of strength, the heavens above the Isle had cleared up for the first time in decades. A blue open sky now yawned above as Yzma left the caves & went back up the cliffs. But when she nearly entered back into the abandoned hub, she spied a squadron of Auradon Forces go up the main-street & inspecting every house. Hiding from sight & watching the troops go from house to house, Yzma slipped back down to warn Mim. But when she reached the caves again, she saw Mim standing outside, looking around as if worried to be seen. “You saw them, right, Yz? Dunno why, but they arrived half an hour ago, came up from the new bridge, straight into town. Large squad of ‘m are standing outside Red’s castle.” She grabbed Yzma by the arm & brought her back in. Once back inside, they went to the highest room & watched out over the calm seas as from above yells & commands echoed faintly. 

“They here to round the stragglers up, fearing we might run off in a few I bet. Idiots. Should be after Ursula & that snake. Wanna bet they won’t enter the Nowhere?” Mim cackled as she hang from the aperture in the rock, skirt up high as she hang upside-down from the window. Yzma couldn’t help but laugh with her as she did, leaning on a crude bench as she played with the vial in her hands. “Say, Mim, I finished the potion. You wanna down it?” Mim shot straight up, with speed & agility no one but Yzma would ever expect from so old a looking woman. “Ya did? Why didn’t ya say so? Give it, Yz!” She catched the vial as Yzma tossed it to her, the bright contents scattering the sunshine in bright green rays. Quickly opening the vial & downing its content in a single gulp, Mim tossed the empty container into the ocean behind her& burped. After waiting a few minutes, she got up & started stretching her limbs as she stepped up the edge of the aperture. “Now then, let’s see if it worked, shall we?” She shot a wink at Yzma as she fell back through the window, into the depths behind. Not worried about an impossible failure, Yzma stayed seated as she waited for a never-coming splash. Indeed, after a few seconds, a victorious yell resounded as a rather tiny yet bloated rose-coloured dragon heaved into view, its small wings struggling to keep the body afloat. “Hahaha! Well done, Yz! Brilliantly done!” She said, doing a few pirouettes as she flitted above the waters. Yzma watched Mim stunt in the air as she tried to think of a way to prevent the Horned King from growing more powerful than he already was. After a few dozen minutes, her mind stopped at the Forbidden Section in Dragon Hall. Surely those books of ancient lore would keep some secrets pertaining to the King or his famed Cauldron?

When Yzma & a back-to-human Madame Mim went back up the cliff a few hours later, all the troops had gone safe for those stationed around Red’s castle. Circumventing the castle-area through the abandoned & nearly torn-down slums, they quickly reached the now eerily silent Dragon Hall, where Yzma wanted to check out the forbidden books, which had always been kept hidden away by Facilier. Pilfering the room after scaring away the aged ultimantula that Facilier had kept guarding it, Yzma scoured through book after book in order to find something they could use against foes. Yzma & Mim always said they’d fight against the Auradonean heroes for imprisoning them, but their years on the Isle had shown them a possible adversary who would make no distinction between villain or heroes, & viewed all other people as foes to be overrun. Indeed, even shortly after their arrival Yzma had already figured out that the Horned King was a possible worse enemy than Maleficent’s rage could ever be or the Auradonean treatment of them had been. She had kept a very close eye on the King, as he had been a rather shunned peddler-beggar through these long decades. Even the worst villains didn’t dare meddle with him, as anyone on the Isle remembered how he had indeed been the worst thing ever to happen in ancient Auradonean history. Even Maleficent had been reluctant to ever harass the King as she did any other villain on the Isle. Now that he had taken over the Forbidden Fortress & re-joined it to the Isle after his display of power, Yzma knew he was the worst threat to the entire land. She threw book after book down upon the floor, as Mim fluttered through the highest bookcases searching for some other books Yzma might not be able to reach. Then, finally, Yzma stopped reading at a certain passage in an untitled book, which bore semblance to a journal of sorts & detailed the creation of the Cauldron itself…

The Three Crones cackled, viewing the developing situation in their Mirrormere, as the Muses looked over their shoulders & were loudly debating amongst themselves. “No, no, no! He’s not! I can tell, Mel! I’m the Muse of Epics for a reason!” They turned to each other as they continued. “Girl, Tragedy is my game! This right here, it’s all a tragedy! Believe me! See that hair? Tragedy! That outfit? Tragedy! It’s all tragedy!” The Crones watched the five Muses’ heated discussion in amusement as they began to talk among themselves, in whispers to keep the Muses arguing. “Do you believe they’ll make it? I mean, the Horned King has always been a worthy adversary. Even when he was defeated, it more by pure luck than strategy.” Ordu shook her head at Orwen. “Their chances are slim, but so were they for the boy back then, no? Destiny has a way of righting itself, haven’t we seen that through the long ages?” Orgoch nodded as she stirred a finger through the Mirrormere, changing the scene & causing the Muses to momentarily stop their bickering in seeing what scene they now could observe. “Ah, look, it’s the small fish-boy! He’s finally talking with the big fish!” Ordu exclaimed excitedly, as she observed. The boy had been her favourite ever since the whole game started, as she had been secretly rooting for him & nudging a few subtle pointers into his life ever since he was born. “Nothing wrong with gifting a few hints now & then.” She always replied whenever any of her two sisters said something about it. Ordu had always liked subtlety when interfering with the lives of promising people, as she had found that without occasional interference, those true Heroes hardly ever fulfilled their potential. Of course, they were bound to neutrality, but they were also bound to keep a balance & so she did. Every tweak was to balance out the order of things. And the last twenty years, she had tweaked many lives in subtle ways. She’d hate for this game to end badly & see the balance shift in a negative way. Some of their old allies had always pleaded for them to change things for the worse, as in for the better for the allies. Especially Hades had been adamant that they’d help him & not the general course of fate & destiny. But he had been stupid & had gotten his come-uppance…

Of course, the Muses always liked to watch them observe mortal affairs, even meddling themselves in the lives of some very notable people. But often enough they too contended themselves with merely observing or simply giving subtle tweaks to this artist or that hero. The laws of the Gods explicitly forbad them from directly interfering with the natural order of history, but even they knew that sometimes a subtle change to someone’s thinking could win a war. Let’s just say that not all good luck is merely good luck. Now Ordu noticed Calliope had distanced herself from the other four & was watching the scene with the Coven. “He has merit, hasn’t he, Ordu?” She rhythmically spoke as she circled the Mirrormere, halting besides the three sisters. Ordu huffed as Calliope stopped besides her, before she spoke up. “He has potential, ‘tis true, but he’s also vulnerable. The big fish might decide he’s not fit to be a master, you know?” Calliope chuckled as she watched the boy’s cowering before the rising of the Kraken in the scene. “Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem, Ordu. It’s old & old pets deserve considerate masters, don’t they? I think it’s tired of its life now that it has almost run its course. We all know it doesn’t have much longer after this game anyway.” Ordu agreed as they watched the scene unfold in silence, as even the other four Muses had stopped fighting & were watching intently at the boy’s meeting with the Kraken. “Why Triton has left ownership of it to the boy I’ll never understand.” Thalia mused as she joined Calliope by her side. The Three Crones merely chuckled as they heard her speak, knowing full well why Triton, King of the Oceans, Heir of Poseidon, left ownership of the Kraken, the Watcher in the Deep, in the hands of a young man who had never had friends or foes…

Chad knew Ben would’ve shown up at his parent’s castle sooner than later & sighed as he saw the young King’s car stop before the entrance shortly after noon, watching Ben step out & walk into the castle when the servants let him in. Anxiously remaining seated at the window, Chad counted the seconds before he heard the expected knock on his chamber doors, as a soft voice announced Ben wished to speak with him. Politely bidding enter, Chad watched Ben walk through the opened door & seating himself near Chad, as he sat down silently by Chad’s feet. “Hey, Ben. What’s wrong?” Ben smiled as he assured Chad “Nothing is wrong”. He ruffled through his hair a moment before he spoke further as he kept his eyes on Chad. “I’m here to talk about, well, you know, that ‘incident’.” It pained Chad to hear Ben talk about it as if it had been an accident, knowing full well it had begun by their own agreement. Sure, they hadn’t actually said, “let’s fuck”, but the atmosphere had been blatant enough. Ben obviously had seen Chad wince at the comment, because he immediately went on by apologizing. “I didn’t mean it in that way, Chad. I wanted it to happen as much as you did, really. I just… didn’t know what to think about it for a very long time now.” He reached out & took hold of Chad’s hand as he went on. “I was very confused for more than a month, which was very obvious I guess.” Ben chuckled as Chad smiled at this comment, because it had been very obvious. Ben had turned red anytime Chad was around & they had avoided one another for the better of a month before Chad decided he was not to blame & shouldn’t feel ashamed. Ben had seemed to pick up at this, because he also no longer tried to avoid Chad after that. “But, in the past week, ever since this whole incident began, I’ve thought a lot about those I love, Chad. I want to keep everybody safe & that includes you. We’ve been best friends for more than a decade now & I feel like that’s no longer the case.” Chad’s heart nearly skipped a beat when Ben said this, fearing Ben no longer wished to be his friend. He had almost become furious before Ben went on to calm him. “I feel like, right now, we’re more than best friends. I have come to realize that… That I…” Ben looked anxious, casting his eyes down as he swallowed, Chad anxiously waiting for Ben to finish, his heart beating louder than ever as Ben slowly dragged the words out over his lips. “I love you, Chad Charming.”

Chad felt as if he was dreaming, his mind a blur at those words which Ben couldn’t have just said, unable to distinguish between thought & observations for a few moments as he seemed to hear his own thoughts echo through his room. He didn’t know what to do & just stared blankly & unblinking at Ben, who felt more & more anxious at Chad’s response as Chad remained silent. Awestruck, the blonde finally moved, shaking his head before he began stuttering. “O-okay, slow down! Did I hear that just right? You… You love me? Like truly love me?” Chad said, his voice trembling as he began to pinch his arms, making sure this wasn’t some cruel dream he was having or a fit of delirium as he was wanton to have as a child. Ben looked worried, afraid Chad was chastising him for confessing an unrequited love, almost afraid to reply. “Well, yeah. But you don’t love me, I guess? I understand, Chad. I’m sorry I bothered you with it...” Ben tried to get up, before Chad grabbed his hand & kept him seated. “No! No, no, that’s not it, Ben! Ben, it’s just, don’t you love Mal?” Ben set himself down, nearer to Chad as he looked into the prince’s eyes. “I still do, extremely much even, ever since she saved us all. But I also love you, Chad, even before we rutted. I guess that in some way I always have loved you, ever since we were kids.” Chad looked excited, his eyes wet as if near tears, as he kneeled besides Ben & took his hands in his own, kissing them as he continued his questions. “Than she knows, right? I mean, otherwise I’m sure you wouldn’t have told me, no? And if so, is she okay with this, with all that you loving me entails?” Ben looked Chad in the eye, placing his hand on the prince’s cheek & softly cupping his face as he spoke. “Yeah, she is aware & she doesn’t mind with anything. Not even with this.” Ben leaned in & softly kissed Chad, gently pressing Chad’s face closer to his own with his hand, while he held the blonde’s other hand firmly in his grasp. The kiss lasted less than ten seconds, but to Chad it felt like hours when they finally broke away from one another, their breath on each other’s lips & foreheads connecting. Flustered, with his cheeks red & pupils dilated, Chad could suddenly smell Ben’s overwhelming scent as his omega-senses kicked in full-time & instantly seemed to amplify his sense of smell while the other sensations began to increase as well.

Ben too was suddenly overwhelmed by olfactory sensations when Chad’s body kick-started in response to the kiss, releasing his typical scent & a wave of pheromones. Smelling Chad’s scent of mahogany, rose & soft musk, Ben knew that his own body was responding in its turn as he felt a heat rise in his chest, while he could feel sweat form in his pits & groin as a response to distribute his own scent into the room. It had been a while since his alpha-senses had been really active so they hit in full-force on his mind as those familiar background-voices suddenly began whispering again. It felt weird, as they were urging him to both claim Chad & honour his original mate, Mal. But his oldest instincts, those of keeping a legacy, overwhelmed his other instincts as he felt himself getting aroused by Chad’s scent & proximity. Chad too felt his temperature rise as his body became intoxicated by Ben’s scent, his every nerve tingling in response to it as he leaned closer to Ben. Grapping unto Ben & burying his face in the crook of Ben’s neck, trying to steady his nerves & calm down, Chad deeply inhaled Ben’s delicious scent, pushing his body against Ben’s to stop himself from shaking. He shuddered with excitement as Ben cupped Chad’s head & simply pushed him even harder against his neck, engulfing Chad in his scent while he twined his legs about Chad’s waist & pulled each other closer together, placing a soft kiss on Chad’s hair as he tried to control his urge to dominate the submissive & eager boy. They remained in each others arms as the minutes passed, as Chad slowly fell asleep in Ben’s arms, lulled into sleep by the exhausting scent while Ben merely watched Chad relax & get some decent shut-eye…

Grimhilde watched the Isle grow small behind her as the mobile sped away, escorted over the bridge by several motorbikes & a flock of faeries before she turned around again. Settling back down in her seat proper, she picked up a glass of water & sipped, careful not to spoil her lipstick as she inspected herself in the reflective surfaces in front of her, smoothing stray hairs back into place. Her lonely solitude of the past three months had caused her to slacken with routine & she was begruntled to spot a few smudges of badly-done make-up peeping through, opening her purse & quickly correcting them now she had the time still. She was anxious to see Evie again, only having had written correspondence with her the past months & unable to make contact any other way. She had tried to do video-chat, but the new Barrier that had been erected had kept out all Wi-Fi-signals so that even wireless Internet was impossible where it had been possible before. She had hired a few cleaners to tend to her small castle, now that she had managed to pilfer some gold from Jafar & Cruella during a few poker-nights. The advantage of plastering one’s face with three different layers of make-up in order to gain a fair complexion is that it becomes difficult to portray subtle facial expressions, ideal to keep up a nice straight poker face. Cruella had lost the most to Grimhilde & had stopped playing when she had nearly lost a fur coat one night when she had run out of money to bet with instead. Jafar had quickly picked up on Grimhilde’s poker face & begun to notice those smuttered subtleties that still came through the layers of toner, so Grimhilde had thereafter decided not to try her luck any longer than she had. The servants had kept her unoccupied by menial tasks & allowed her to focus on very different things indeed, as she had turned to her mirrors when the first Barrier had fallen. She had pierced the veils that hung around many magical artefacts, finding out their locations with her best Mirror & busily jotting down everything connected to those artefacts she had been able to find. The notebook was in her purse now & would remain there until she could deliver it to the children.

The children, yes, she had thought about all four of them a lot through the last months. Without a doubt they had defeated Maleficent, this much the cleverest villains had figured out before even the official proclamation had been announced. What exactly had happened, no one knew but those present at the Coronation. There had been rumours that she was still alive, but kept imprisoned somewhere in central Auradon. If any of this was true, than those four kids had been stronger together than any villain ever had been separately. Alliances were, of course, frowned upon by mainstream villains, but the best ones knew that alliances were important. Only bug scum would claim that they’d have no need for anyone else but themselves. That or they were incredibly powerful, but even the strongest villains had sidekicks, minions & allies. Even on the Isle, Maleficent had surrounded herself with her still-loyal goblins & after the first decade she had even invited Cruella & Jafar to aid her in breaking out. If Maleficent, the so-called Mistress of Evil, would keep allies at hand because it made her stronger, why would you then claim that allies were futile & useless? Indeed, only idiots kept saying this. And her kids, for she did consider the other three as extended family, they had banded together & submitted the great Maleficent to their will! When she first found out, she had been at once ecstatic, surprised, angered & confused. How they had done it, exactly why, for whom, using what, … all such questions had whirled around in her head for weeks to come, but once realisation had set in, she had merely been proud & happy they could now live a more carefree life.

Yes, indeed! How proud had she been when she had seen Evie’s talent on the screen during the Coronation, shown to all of Auradon as it adorned Mal & made her a radiant star in a brilliantly shining crowd! Her heart, never letting itself be known much through her life, had nearly leapt out of her chest when Evie’s name had fallen. Not even Snowhite’s presence on the screen could have made her scorn the moment. Why, now that she had had the time to ponder over it all in the light of the new situation & the pride she had now begun to feel for her ‘good’ kids, she had lost some of her old scorn towards Snowhite & those dwarfs even. She no longer felt singularly hateful towards them, as she had truly realized for the first time in decades that she had caused her own demise to begin with. Her despicable jealousy in those years, her hate towards the young Snowhite, it had all clouded her mind & for the longest time hadn’t lifted. Now, after decades of punishment, she had begun to feel some sort of remorse. Most of the hatred was still there, but a pity had been born, a sympathy towards Snow for her unjust treatment by Grimhilde’s hand in those long-lost years of memory… She fingered the royal crest broche she wore on her gown, never having taken it off since her own coronation over sixty years ago. Its presence had always assured her that her actions were just & right, even when they had been terrible wrong. Now, considering her unfit rule through many years, Evie’s new life & friends, the new-born sympathy to Snow & the lessened hate to the dwarves, she had decided that perhaps it was time for Queen Grimhilde to pass the rulership down to its rightful heir. She gazed outside, watching trees pass by as the mobile drove down the central Auradonean forests towards Auradon Prep, expected to arrive there in twenty minutes. Where she would finally see Evie again…

Mal, Jay & Carlos stood around Evie as Doug & Audrey finished up the last of the decorations, placing a tray of hot pastries down as a number of vehicles drove into sight of the school down the street. Trying to remain calm & composed, Evie grinned widely as Mal gave her an assuring pat on the shoulder. Jay & Carlos stood directly behind her, shoulder to shoulder, each whispering their own advice to her as the vehicles drove closer & closer. A few minutes later, as Doug & Audrey joined them after having finished up, the mobile parked before the school as the motorbikes halted to a rest on different places. Security was everywhere, standing both in sight & out of the way, but every corner & nook was being observed. As the door opened & Grimhilde stepped out, Evie forgot all her composure & ran up to her mother, squealing like a child as she flung herself around her mother’s neck. Slightly surprised but equally excited, Grimhilde forgot all her own rules & smiled broadly as she merely closed the hug over Evie as they spun around a few times to stop themselves from falling over due to Evie’s small sprint-launch. “Oh, Evie, darling! How are you?” Grimhilde inquired as the other three walked closer-by & greeted her welcome to Auradon Prep. “Mal, dear, are you okay? You’ve grown, I see. Ah Jay! Still as rough as ever I hope? Oh, Carlos, my dear, come here!” She let go of Evie as she merely picked Carlos up & gave him a motherly hug, causing Jay & Evie to chuckle while Mal merely smiled. Finally putting Carlos back down & turning her attention back to Evie, Grimhilde simply beamed & began rapidly talking. “Now, Evie, tell me, what all happened at the Coronation. I want every single detail, nothing left out, not even your thoughts! You three, you’ll be next! I want to know absolutely everything!” Being guided by the kids to the entrance hall as Evie hastily began explaining the main story of the Coronation, Grimhilde stopped by the others as they were introduced by Mal. “This is Audrey, Aurora’s daughter! We were archenemies, now kind of good friends. This is Lonnie, Mulan’s daughter. Jane, daughter of thé Fairy Godmother. And this is Doug, son of Dopey.” Doug awkwardly smiled, as Grimhilde turned stern when his father was mentioned, before she dropped her jaw speechlessly when Mal went on. “He’s also kind-of Evie’s boyfriend at the moment.” Evie had stopped talking to let Mal introduce the lot, but at this she hastily interrupted the purple-haired girl. 

“Oh, why, not quite as much boyfriends as just really, really good friends, right, Doug? I mean, sure, his father’s Dopey but-“ Grimhilde signed Evie to be silent as she scanned Doug who stood trembling before her as Evie tried to step between them. “Now, young man, as you can imagine, your father & me will never be friends, let me tell you that right now. But!” She exclaimed as she poked a finger to his chest while she turned her eyes to Evie. “If you treat my daughter like the princess that she is, I will not interfere. A castle is optional, my boy, but would be appreciated, yes? And if you ever hurt my daughter…” She slid a finger over he throat while imitating a hanged man’s noose, before she looked sternly at Doug again. “Do we understand each other?” Doug shakingly nodded & stepped behind Evie, as Grimhilde merely laughed. “Oh, dear, don’t be so meek! I’m just joking. I trust my daughter enough to pick out a perfect suitor. After all, it’s all I ever taught her.” Grimhilde stepped back as she watched Evie comfort a still intimidated Doug, as she turned towards Mal. “Now, Mal, my dear, how are you doing? I trust you’re holding up strong? Are you still together with young King Ben?” Mal nodded as she hintingly guided Grimhilde towards the pastries & confectionaries. “We’re still together, yes, but he won’t be attending today. It’s been a busy couple of days as you might imagine. At the moment, he is attending to the safety of certain friends. He will see you tomorrow, he has said, so we’ll be able to catch up with everything then.” Picking up & offering a strawberry to Grimhilde, Mal flashed her eyes at Jay & Carlos, hinting that they could at least try to help Grimhilde have a nice day. Catching her eye & subtly moving over, they each locked an arm with Grimhilde & led her about the hall, introducing various friends & teachers as Mal went over to check up on Evie, who was still comforting Doug.

“Is he okay? I hope she didn’t shake him too bad. “ Mal asked as she watched Evie hold on to Doug’s shoulders while he blew in & out in a paper bag, trying to get his nerves under control. “He’s fine, he was just worked up, I guess. He had been obsessing over today for a while, actually. He was really scared that she’d attack him, even tho I had told him over & over she’s not that kind of person. If anything, poison would be more her thing rather than bludgeoning or strangling.” Mal laughed at the jib while Doug merely whimpered & began blowing harder into the bag a few times. She watched as Grimhilde laughed with a few people over some shared joke, as Jay & Carlos kept an eye about her, subtly guiding her through the planned introductions & approved subjects of speech. All in all, it was going really well. Even the security guards had become less prominent as they had decided that an obvious protective presence wasn’t needed to ease the situation. Mal could only hope that the next phases of the rehabilitation would go as smoothly, as she feared especially for the final introduction with Snowhite in a couple of weeks. As had been expected, Snow had not been enthusiastic about the entire idea, at first outright declining to cooperate in the rehab-program & threatening to reduce the amount of gems being sold to Auradon as retribution. After a few hours however, Ben had managed to calm her down & make her see the logic in the program. She had reluctantly agreed to meet with Grimhilde, but only if absolutely no other problems would show up at any time during the program. Mal knew they’d have to take it or leave, as had Ben, so the program had been slightly altered to ensure that problems would have as little as possible an opportunity to develop. Indeed, every involved was silently holding their breath for the entire duration that it’d take to conclude.

Harper was looking up & down at the Kraken now, finally assured that it meant him no harm whatsoever, swimming about its enormous bulk which nearly hade it impossible to simply observe it. After a dozen or so minutes, Harper cautiously swam up to it & gently touched its calloused & scarred skin, which felt slimy & rough beneath his hands, pulsing softly with the flow of blood & a heartbeat. It felt oddly calming to touch this titan, to acknowledge its reality & serenity. Placing his head on the skin & listening to the enormous heart beating, Harper felt as if he was becoming entangled with the titans mind as he heard a soft siren song reverberate through his body & the room about them. Only after a few minutes did he realize that the Kraken was purring a song, which vibrated though him & resonated with the water. It felt calming, a sad ode to the open ocean & the feeling of sunshine of cold skin, of warm water vanquishing the depth of the deep abyss & of music filling the world in joy & contentment. He felt indeed that it had been speaking truth all along, simply wishing to be released into the open ocean once more to enjoy its last years in more tropical regions. Somehow Harper knew that it had dwelt most of its life down in the cold abyssal depths where hardly any warmth or light existed. How lonely such a life must be indeed, he thought as he rubbed his hands over the rough skin, tracing a few of the enormous scars with his palm before he pulled away & swim a distance from the Kraken. Then, turning around & facing the titanous creature, Harper merely focussed on its mind & tied to share the words over the mental link through which it spoke to him. “You are free.”

Rising from the pit again, an incredibly deep whining & hummed song suddenly audibly shaking the room, Harper watched as the beast tore down the enormous pillars that were supporting the central ceiling of the dome, causing enormous fissures to appear as the weight was finally breaking the rock. As the lest pillar fell & the largest cracks suddenly connected, causing enormous blocks of stone to softly tumble down, Harper felt a rush of water flood in as warmer waters suddenly seeped through the cracked ceiling & displaced the cold water. The Kraken began to rise again, pushing its enormous bulk against the breaking dome & forcing its tentacles deep within already widening fissures. Quickly after, the dome began to give way, shifting aside as more & more rock fell besides the titan beast, forced to move away as it kept on rising & pushing, as the first rays of feeble light began to trickle down though some cracks. Quickly swimming underneath its titan bulk, Harper watched in a combination of fear, fascination & awe as it was squeezing its enormous body though the much smaller aperture that was now forming between the ancient dome & the seabed far above. A dozen more minutes later, Harper could feel warm waters engulf them fully as strong light began pouring down with it & bathed them in warmth. The rock too was changing now, become less craggy & more sediment, as large streams of mud were now pouring down below them, filling up the destroyed dome far below. Then, as it gave one last titan push, the Kraken burst through a sinking seabed & finally arrived back into open waters for the first time in countless years as Harper quickly swam about & above it, eager to see where they had raised as they were nearing the sea-surface. As Harper broke the waves, followed by the enormous backside of the Kraken, tossing him high above the waves & into the warm sunlight that streamed through thunderclouds, Harper was stunned to see they had risen just off the coast of Seaside. Except he couldn’t see an coast anymore, but only the backs of two enormous sea-serpents which were strangling the island in a chokehold…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another tenth chapter, another ten thousand word count. Starting from today, I'm also going to begin revising old chapters.
> 
> I almost planned to equate the Kraken with the Leviathan from Atlantis, but they're such different characters in mythology & their respective movies that it'd feel wrong to do so. I might introduce the Leviathan in a later chapter, even tho I'm not currently planning to do so.
> 
> Quick recap; Grimhilde, the Evil Queen, is starting her rehabilitation. Jafar is unmentioned in this chapter, but it starting his new tyranny on Agrabah. Ursula has yet to breach the Castle while Harper & the Kraken have just surfaced near Flotsam & Jetsam. Ben & Chad confess their love to eachother, while Ben is revealed/discovers he is polyromantic & loves both Mal & Chad. Evie & her mother re-unite as Grimhilde sets aside her hatred of Doug's father to give Doug a chance. Yzma & Mim have returned Mim to her full power, even though she is out of practice, as they infiltrate Hell Hall's Library in search for information to use against the Horned King. Maurice is revealed as the Head of the R&D Department of the Auradon United Forces, apointed by Belle & Adam when they united Auradon.
> 
> Edit; Added extra dialogue & ampued word-count up with 1000 words.


	21. Destiny & Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Destiny & Fate, the inevitable or necessary life to which a particular person or thing is destined, beyond human power or control. Often portrayed as a thing beyond free will, even though many times it is only established into its course by the desire through free will to stay its course from happening.
> 
> If destiny is merely the reality that you can not live your life differently from how you have, than it is indeed without free will. But if not, then what is it?
> 
> The game continues on, as pawns prepare counter-attacks & the enemies knights are convinced they have already won.

“Honestly, Aladdin, I had expected you to put up more of a fight.” Jafar was speaking to the shackled sultan as he strut about the throne-room, glancing occasionally at Jasmine & their youngest daughter who were caged in the far-end of the room, scarcely clad in silken robes. Adara, only just turned ten last month, was crying softly in the arms of her mother, who was glaring at Jafar with eyes that could curdle dairy. Aladdin knew that resisting was useless, that he’d merely be thrown about if he tried to run. Jafar had gotten all his old powers back, as Aladdin had feared & hoped. If lucky, soon the old bracelets would appear again & bind Jafar once more as Djinn, but they had to wait. Best he could do right now was to keep Jafar talking & distracted, so that he might not realize when the bracelets appear or not be tempted to kill any of Aladdin’s family until no longer able to do so. “What did you expect, Jafar? A grand attack aimed towards you & your army? You think we’d ever resort to open battle within the city if we knew there isn’t any way to win? We might be optimistic, but we’re not fools.” Jafar cackled as response to Aladdin’s words, merely lifting the beaten sultan up by the shackles & hanging him up high, so he could stare down right into Jafar’s eyes. “Of course not, Aladdin. But I at least expected a bit of a struggle from you! Last time, you put up quite a fight & I personally was hoping you’d do the same again. After all, I’ve been aching for twenty years to beat you. But unconditional surrender isn’t any fun now, is it? Let’s make things more interesting, okay?”

Gesturing his staff towards the cage, Jafar motioned it forward as it began skidding across the marble floor towards Jafar & Aladdin. Conjuring golden ropes from the staff & letting them wrap about Adara, he dragged her from the cage & let her hang upside-down between himself & Aladdin. Adara whimpered as she tried to hold back her fears, looking bravely at Jafar as Aladdin began pleading with the sorcerer. “Don’t you dare hurt her! If you hurt her, I’ll swear-“ Jafar gave him a punch with the end of the staff, making Aladdin double up, restrained by the shackles as they held him back. “Shut it, you fool! You think you can threaten me? I am in control now! Agrabah is mine! And if I want to play with your slut of a wife & bastard of a daughter, I will do so! And you will watch! Oh yes, you will watch. I will break you, Aladdin. In the end, you’ll beg me for the sweet release of death, after I’ve made you watch your wife & children die, one by one, slowly…” Jasmine began angrily spewing curses at the elder sorcerer, as Adara was tearing up from fear, fear for her parents & herself. “Jafar, you ebn’l sharmootah! Ibn’Ihmar!” She spat at him, as Aladdin stopped panting, finally regressing the pain of the blow as Jafar merely laughed at Jasmine’s cursing. “My, my, princess. And you use that mouth to kiss this petty thief? No wonder you like him! You’re practically as filthy a bitch as he is a whore’s son!” Jafar cackled as he returned his attention to Adara, who had stopped tearing up, instead giggling at her mother for cursing. “Oh, you found that funny, little one? Let me see if you find it funny if I curse at them?” Jafar turned to Aladdin, as he began speaking a thaned curse towards the sultan. “Yhiixribh Bheitahk!”

Ursula was nearly inside the castle when she heard that calling behind her, behind Jetsam & Flotsam. Turning around & lifting her high above all else, she was amazed to see another titan-beast break the surface & turn towards her pets. “Gods below, do I have to do everything myself?” She cursed as she aimed the Trident high above & began to command the elements of the sky to her will. After a few seconds however, a thundering drone blew apart the clouds that were gathering above her, as a booming voice resounded throughout the island. “Sub-Oculus me’, nec’mortem!” Ursula instinctively realized someone had placed the island under a protective spell of the highest order, one strong enough to even neutralize the power of the Trident! “How is this possible?! All the power of the Ocean & still I am being bested?” She cursed as she merely let the Trident summon a powerful gale that somehow was not being hampered by the spell. Enormous waves were already building up as the storm around Seaside began to pick up in strength once more & the winds whipped up the sea. The rising waves crashed against the titanous beast that had begun wrestling with her pets, as it whipped its tentacles about them & tried to subdue them, pulling them away from the coast of the island, which they were crushing beneath their bodies.

Ursula turned back towards the castle, enraged at this attempt to thwart her powers by an unknown foe. Somehow this had to pertain to Ariel’s whelps, without a doubt! Only they could be this adamant & stubborn to fight Ursula on every move she made, whether they could win or not! She raised herself again, determined to crash against that damned castle & make it topple down. “I can’t use direct lethal force, due whatever spell has been cast upon this infernal island, but I can still cause enough destruction to make people die as a consequence! Diavró̱nun synécheia, n’katarfsei páno!” The Trident beamed, hitting the canal through which Ursula was travelling, pulling back the waters behind her & collecting it all in an enormous rolling wave beneath her slithering form. Gaining momentum as she began moving towards the castle again, she let the conjured wave travel before her, accelerating it with the power of the Trident as it was racing towards the castle, faster & faster. Finally reaching the outer castle-walls, it broke upon the structure with an earth shocking crash, causing the wall to break beneath it! Trembling the entire castle, to the deepest caverns below, people within began screaming for their lives as the weaker parts of the structure gave way underneath the momentous force. Chandeliers were crashing throughout corridors & halls, as staircases tumbled downwards & several turrets were dislodged & fell down below, crashing through roofs & balconies. Deep within the castle, Ron was shaking his mother as Aria stood aghast, as Ariel had suddenly collapsed with blood trickling from her lips.

Ben was still cradling a sleeping Chad when his phone buzzed & a call showed up on the screen. Answering the call & greeting the caller, Ben listened to the speaker on the other side. “Ben, this is Alice. We have new information on the situation in Agrabah! Yago just arrived here in great haste, with several messages from multiple people.” Ben slowly swallowed as he prepared himself for the inevitably bad news he was sure she’d share. “Yes. Talk to me. Tell it all.” Alice sighed before she began reciting the letters one by one. “Jafar is nearly back to full-power, according to several witnesses. All the villains that followed him have been changed into demons & are being used at the moment to control Agrabah. Aladdin, Jasmine & Adara have been captured, but Aron has managed to evade Jafar’s efforts to capture him. At this moment, he should arrive in Tangu any hour now. They’ve already promised to send word the moment he arrives there. Then there’s word that Jafar’s army is tearing down the city’s defences, but this is yet unconfirmed. Then follows a brief letter of a citizen saying that they have seen the Cave of Wonders rise above the sands southeast of Agrabah. That’s all, for now.” Alice concluded her report as Ben took it all in, sighing deeply before he spoke up. “Thanks, Alice. Are you okay? I know you’d like to go to Agrabah at the moment & you know you can go if you want to.” Silence on the other end, as Ben waited for Alice to reply. “Thank you, Ben, but that won’t be necessary. I believe that Jafar won’t be a problem for much longer. Besides, I can do more here. Right now, I am of use here. So I stay here. Good night, Ben.” Alice hung up & Ben knew he had tugged a painful string in Alice, one which she rather always forget existed. Alice & her family didn’t hate each other, but there had always been tension between her & Aladdin. It was only natural she’d rather not discus this sensitive subject, at least not with Ben, not now. Ben sighed as he merely stroked Chad’s hair, as he began texting with Mal again.

Apparently the welcome-part had gone perfectly, without any problems whatsoever. Afterwards, Grimhilde had been taken aside by Fairy Godmother & been shown her own living quarters near the back of the school. Seems that Fairy Godmother had been generous & cleared an entire wing especially for Grimhilde to reside in. Of course, guards were stationed at every door & beneath every window, but still, Grimhilde had been granted a lot of freedom. At least now she & Evie could easily see each other & spent some time as parent & child. Ben grinned at this, as he knew that Grimhilde would also make sure Carlos would visit her regularly. He had already guessed she felt a certain maternal love towards the boy & when she had inquired as to the conditions & situations of the other members of the Rotten Four, he had had his confirmation. He texted back to Mal that he was happy all had gone okay, asking her to make sure Evie wouldn’t sneak off after curfew to visit her mother quite yet. She agreed & had then proceeded to ask him how the talk with Chad had gone. Blushing slightly, even tho no one could see, he replied that it had gone okay & that Chad had been happy enough to accept his love. Ben knew Mal would be smiling wickedly whenever she’d read this admission so he made sure to also say that if she would ever tell anyone without his consent, he’d ban import of strawberries in Auradon. Cursing to him in her reply, Ben knew Mal would keep her tongue.

Facilier looked on in horror as his Friends enveloped the Red Queen & began tearing at her clothes, then her skin & flesh. Instead of screaming in agony, she was merely cackling maniacally as her blood poured out of the gaping wounds that the spirits made. Sinew, tendon, artery & muscle were strewn about the writhing body as the spirits kept tearing at it, exposing bare bone & beating organs. Finally the body stopped trashing in agony & the cackling died away, as the last bits of flesh & organ had been ripped away from the skeleton, which now lay bare upon the floor before Facilier. Horror-stricken & nauseated by the overwhelming smell of blood, gore & defecation, Facilier clutched to the wall as his spirits began their next work & replaced the destroyed flesh with a new anatomy. Filling gaps between bones with webs of shadows & liquid darkness filling the renewed veins, a shadowy body was being assembled about the bones, which had started moving again. A hollow cackle rose from the still hollowed-out chest as the voice box was reconstructed from a combination of a smashed music box & a vibrating shadow strung about it. The spirits were reconstructing the entire body with whatever they could find, make & shape. A horrible combination of destroyed furniture, gadgets & living darkness was being draped over the bones that were all what remained of the Queen.

The form on the floor before him started twitching after a dozen more minutes of flitting shadows inserting odd bits & ends within the frame. An eerie music started playing as it began breathing, as Facilier realized it was the music box being used as a trachea & was activated by the inhaled & exhaled air. If the previous half hour was true horror, this new scene was mind shatteringly creepy & downright insane! Facilier continued to watch in a mix of terror & horror as the newly made makeshift doll-like body of the red Queen began to rise from the blood-soaked floor, raising a shaking disgusting hand to clutch for support. The hand found the table top, clutching it tightly as porcelain fingers with screw nails dug into the wood, making a terrible sound as they scraped across the surface while the horrible thing lifted itself up. The spirits finished their work, slipping into the gasping mouth of their new host as the eyes opened slowly, glowing red irises contracting a moment before dilating to nearly fill the entire pupil. Facilier couldn’t decide what made him shutter in dread more, those glowing red eyes or that horrible piping music as the dreadful thing breathed. “Facilier…” He straightened, body tense as a harp-string, as that filthy thing breathed his name, the word accompanied by that horrifying music. The puppet, doll, automaton, whatever exactly it was… It turned towards him & began speaking to him, piping at him. “That was quite… exhilarating.” 

The Red Queen found her voice again, as she got accustomed to this new body. She could feel all its separate parts move & activate, gears gyrating & grinding into each other, strings drumming & vibrating, the living shadows flowing & pulsing within artificial veins, the semi-solid skin hardening into porcelain or softening into a liquid covering, … She breathed in, deeply, her breath piping with music as it passed her new tracheae & voice box, filling half-developed lungs that were not really there but seemed to simply form when needed. This new heart however was beating strongly, as its artificial construction began pumping the liquid shadows through her entire body. She stretched her new fingers, doll-like & jointed as if made of porcelain, screw driven through the tips to serve as nails or claws. Her toes too, but much stronger, not porcelain but something indefinable, but strong & stern. She looked back up at Facilier, who was looking at her in a mix of horror & disgust. “Ah, come now, Facilier. Truly, one like you wouldn’t possible find this bad? I’m sure you’ve seen much, much more, no? After all,” she clicked her ghostly tongue against a metal palette that served as the roof of her mouth, “Hell, or at least the Loa-equivalent of it, should be much worse than simply seeing a body ripped apart.” She ended her sentence with a sharp grin, as she saw another look of terror slip over Facilier’s face, as the witch doctor shook with terror at the memory of those dreadful years…

He churned the ashes he had taken from the furnaces, mixing them with the clay he had dug. They mixed, became one, grainy & moist soil that stayed in form for a few moments before settling down again in a shapeless mass. It had the perfect consistency, just right for what he needed to make. The soil was dumped in buckets, enormous vats that could hold entire men, before they were flung above blazing fires to bake, by yelping goblins that tugged the vats along the rail down which they hung. Yes, they need to bake, need to destroy all that could life from the soil. It had to be sterile, needed to be lifeless, before it could be used for its final purpose. The Cauldron was not yet complete, not yet renewed. But there were ways to deal with this, to still use the yet incomplete power of that relic. It meant merely a slight delay, never a defeat. Soon the first vats would be done & they could be used with the Cauldron. Golems would not be as good as undead thralls, more fragile but also much more powerful singularly, but they would serve as well for now. The Horned King looked out upon the forest surrounding the Fortress. Eager goblins were cutting down the dead trees, to stoke the hungry fires that sterilized the vats. “Disgusting. Useless. Completely trivial, yet useful. No need for trees, but for their wood. The fires need to burn.” The Horned King clutched one of the supervising goblins by the neck, holding the creature before him as the Horned King bellowed. “Cut down more trees. Get more wood! Dig up the soil. Get more clay! More ashes are needed. Burn up more bodies! Now!” The goblin was let loose with a thump, as the creature speedily got up & hurried off to usher the others to work faster. The dungeons were nearly empty now, as most of the corpses had already been burned for the much-needed ashes. Ash, dust & the breath of life. All what was needed for simple mindless thralls.

The Horned King turned back at the Cauldron, picking up a vial of ashes as he began to mix it with adder venom. He smeared the paste over the greatest crack in the Cauldron, watching it mend slowly under the treatment. “Death for death. Venom & burned dead to repair the bringers of death. Death for death. Venom & burned dead to repair the bringers of death…” He kept repeating the mantra, as he kept redrawing the paste upon the cracks. Three days he had been doing this, ever since the poorest framework of the Cauldron had managed to revive itself from the ashes it had become. But innate magic only ever goes so far. It had remained incomplete, broken, until he had begun repairing it. Some cauldrons need metal, others need cements. But this one, oh, it needed death. But death is subtle. Death can be crushed insects, stored poisons, burned bodies… Death for death, a mix of death, it can ever be subtle. But the subtler, the more poetic, and the stronger it was. This he knew, this he had learned long ago. A knife to the back is always trumped by poison in one’s favourite wine, it bespeaks more class & skill. His life was of no import, he needed it not, as the paste began searing his own skin again. He had long ago given up his bodily life in favour of inorganic continuation. Eating unnecessary, yet always still pleasurable, oh, how it had puzzled his enemies. Many poisons had been slipped in his wines, but they only strengthened him as he had savoured in watching his hidden foes look in surprise as he remained. It had betrayed many skilful foes who had portrayed old friends before their play had ended under the fall of his halberd& with the thud of their detached heads upon the floor.

He knows they were still watching him, they never stopped. Those old Sisters, that Coven, of betrayal & lies. His friends they were, they had said many times, but ever they only betrayed him. What would their creators have said if they had known? He didn’t guess, didn’t care. His creators were long dead, though those Sisters still kept remembering him of them. Oh, the power to erase the line of blood from the past, to erase the last thing connecting him to a life he didn’t care to remember. He was old, older than many guessed. He had been different once, long before he had become the Horned King. Back then, he had been Brother to the Sisters. A coven of four they had been, not simply three. But then they had betrayed him, had said they did it for him, as they had tried to prevent him from becoming Him. But he had noticed their lies, realized their betrayal, had betrayed them before they Him. The Cauldron was his, his alone. Will always be his, by right of blood. It was his past, present & unending future, as it would ever be. He smeared the last of the paste unto the Cauldron’s surface. “Death for death. Venom & burned dead to repair the bringers of death…”

Yzma & Madame Mim had been reading for hours on end before Yzma had decided they had gathered enough information to formulate a plan of attack or support, depending on the situations. Yzma hadn’t bothered with copying information, instead having merely ripped out any relevant pages & stuffing them in her bag before they had left the library. Mim had stopped to coo the ultimantula & apologize to it before hurrying after Yzma when the spider had begin respinning her protective web in front of the library entrance. “Yz! Yz! Would ya mind slowing down?” Mim was hurrying after Yzma still when they reached the path down the cliff towards the caves they had taken dwelling in. “Keep up, Mim. Ain’t got time to wait around anymore! If those books are right, we’ll have several problems by the time the sun goes down again…” Yzma treaded down the steps in solemn fashion as she kept up a stern face, causing Mim to slowly follow after her. Yzma was royally pissed, this much Mim already figured out. And it took a lot to piss her off, after the entire Cuzco-incident. Whatever she figured out from those books, it must be hella important & serious to even impress Yzma. In the past twenty years, hardly anything had ever excited or annoyed Yzma. Well, except for that awful sludge they liked to call coffee on the Isle. That brew had always managed to piss Yzma off, for some reason or another. Mim sighed as she descended the steps & trailed after Yzma into the caves.

Yzma was busily gathering ingredients by the time Mim settled down in the mezzanine above the brewery. It was simply a large ledge that overlooked most of the spacious room where the cauldron & ingredient were kept, but it had been lavishly decorated by Ursula, probably intended as a place of rest during the longer brews, which Ursula undoubtedly knew & had used. Covered with many pillows, even though they were still a bit soggy from the drained seawater & most air, Mim sat down & watched Yzma flit about the room, retrieving numerous vials & jars from the multitude of shelves about the walls of the room. Mim had hardly ever seen Yzma this focussed & swift, as they had tended always to lazily hang about the shops & pharmacies, which sometimes required Yzma’s know-how during the past twenty years. After Yzma had thrown in about ten different ingredients, Mim was amazed by the prismatic haze that now hovered about the floor of the brewery & the lucid smoke that crinkled above the cauldron & exited the room through one of the many vents in the ceiling. Mim watched as the haze pulsated in a myriad of colours, switching from purple to red to yellow to white to blue back to purple. It repeated this continually, as Mim watched it in lazy fascination, while the smoke only changed colour when new ingredients where thrown in. From grey to white with a single tongue of dog, then to green with three hands of dried algae, followed by purple due to inclusion of powdered crab. The flow of ingredients was steady, even though Yzma sometimes waited for the smoke to change colour on its own accord before adding certain ingredients.

Mim was lazily drowsing off, nodding as she tried to keep her head up. Noon was passing, the sun shining directly through the apertures above as Yzma kept herself busy with the brew. Mim recognized that Yzma was close to finished as she was hastily reading through the torn pages she had collected, probably reading up on the ending of the brew. Searching for the final ingredient, Yzma was panicked to find it not present. Mim was worried, as she watched Yzma scan every single shelf over & over again. “What ya need, Yz?” Yzma looked up at Mim, frowning before speaking. “I need ashes of human skin.” Mim looked puzzled, as she wondered how the hell they could ever get that, before she puzzled together a possible solution. “So, ya need a mummy? Got it!” Whirling into a poof of smoke & dust, Mim transfigured herself into a languid-looking exceedingly dry-looking mummy. “Bwah! Dust in ma mouth! And sand in ma privates! Blimey, how do mummies get through undead life like this?” She exclaimed as she stretched her arm & unwrapped the bindings about it. “Yz! A knife, please!” Tossing Mim a knife from one of the shelves, Yzma watched in solemn horror as Mim cut off a large swat of dried skin & tossed it to Yzma, who disgustedly caught the paper-dry swat & crumbled it into the cauldron, which erupted out a mass of smoke & smothered the room within seconds. The last thing that Mim saw as she changed back & was taken in by the smoke was the sight of a clawed hand reaching out from the cauldron & gripping its edge…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, chapter 21! All the revisions made through the previous chapters in the past week has bumped our total word-count to over 102.000 words in total! Now, for some translations concerning the curses uttered by the villains in this chapter!
> 
> Jafar's curse; May your bloodline extinguish & your forefathers be no more!  
> Unknown Voice; Under my eye, no death!  
> Ursula's curse; Water behind me, to my front & go (not sure, have to recheck).
> 
> Yes, the Red Queen has essentially been changed into a metal, flesh & spirit doll. She's a hybrid creature of artificial flesh & machinery, powered & moved by the spirits of Facilier's Friends. She's practically an automaton-avatar of the dark Loa now.
> 
> Yes, the Horned King is implied to be the brother of the three sisters; Orddu, Orwen & Orgoch. I have equated them three with the Three Fates before, implying this again by the Hades-comment in this chapter. In this AU, they have "betrayed" the Horned King by preventing him to claim ownership over the Black Cauldron by trying to keep it from him. he viewed this as an ultimate betrayal, causing him to steal the Cauldron, abandon his role as the Brother & become the Horned King. In this AU, the King whose souls resides in the Black Cauldron, was a direct forefather to the Coven & the Horned King, hence the King's claim of ownership.


	22. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream, a state of mind marked by abstraction or release from reality, also a strongly desired goal or purpose. Dreams can occur as either distracted fantasizing while awake, a mental process during sleep or in an anxious or terrifying form as nightmare.
> 
> Every person had different dreams, different ideals they wish to realize in the course of their future. Some they accomplish, others they do not. But all too often, a hope for the future can change into a despair of the present state of once's life.

Jay was running, running through the dense forest with the pack behind & Carlos besides him. The white wolf, with its black dots & stripes, was panting loudly as it sensed the query just ahead of them. Jay could see it too now, a figure running from the pack, darting between the trees, occasional curses flitting by as they were spoken just out of hearing range. The figure was slowly closing in, the pack faster than it. Carlos howled, the others responded but Jay remained silent. Somehow he knew he was not really there, was just an observer to this all. The figure was almost reached now, just a few meters ahead of Carlos. Carlos growled, bare teeth showing as he jumped towards the figure. A shrill cry, a pained yelp & Carlos was catapulted over the figure, which had stepped in a bar-trap. Jay turned away from the scene as he realized what would happen, shutting his eyes & suddenly leaping awake from his bed, startling a sleeping Carlos besides him.

She was frantically tugging at the device before she noticed the white wolf had gotten up again & was eyeing her malevolently. She knew what was going to come, had it experienced so many times already. First, he’d go for her hand – he did. The wolf bit down on her outstretched hand, teeth sinking in deeply & drawing a fountain of blood from the punctured skin. She could handle this pain, as it was easy enough to prepare for. Second, one of the other wolves would attack her from behind. It did, sank its teeth in the flesh of her shoulder, bearing her down with its weight & exposing her neck. Third, the white wolf would release her hand & go for her jugular. It did, same as always, releasing her hand with a growl & quickly closing its jaws about her neck. This pain was easy to ignore as well, but she couldn’t ignore the next pain whatsoever. The wolf shakes its head, snaps her neck. She feels her body fall down limp, useless & death but she’s still alive in her mind. And here comes the awful part where they start tearing off her limbs, beginning with her injured shoulder. It is torn away with a sickening tear as the muscles detach from the left scapula & blood flows down from the hideous wound. The pain isn’t as bad as the worst, but it stings & sears, making her scream internally. Then they tear of her right arm, detaching the humerus from the shoulder-socket & making tendons snap like guitar-strings. This hurts more, is rougher in effect as it effectively rips apart instead of simply detaching. Her legs will follow soon, but not before the white wolf would start clawing at her abdomen & tear apart the skin with claw & teeth, causing her guts to spill out unto the soil beneath her. That was the worst pain, as she’d feel her organs being eaten while still attached to her nerves. She could already feel the blackness surround her, ready to reset the scene & begin it all over again…

Jay had assured Carlos he was fine, that he just had a small nightmare & nothing more. Begrudgingly & still worried, Carlos had reluctantly lay back down & wished Jay good night. A bit annoyed at Carlos’ behaviour, Jay merely bend down & gave the boy a kiss on the cheeks before saying good night as well. As hoped, it made Carlos smile, in turn making Jay feel more at ease already. He lay back again, wondering what the hell that was just now. He had been having this dream for several days on end by now, ever since the first night of the outbreak. Always the same, him running with a changed Carlos & his pack, them hunting down a shrouded figure he couldn’t recognize. But he knew who it was, who Carlos killed over & over again in that dream. Jay was confused about this, seeing how it shouldn’t have bothered him this much. On the Isle, it hadn’t been uncommon for Jay to stumble upon bodies of people who had been killed overnight in dark alleys due to stupid disputes or unpaid debts. Sure, the first time he had found a corpse, it had terribly shaken him but after a stern talk with his father & Mal’s usual scoffs at such things, he had become accustomed to it. A body shouldn’t be shaking him this bad, not anymore. Was he growing soft perhaps, growing mellow in this new life? He doubted it, as such things don’t leave you – not really at least.

Mal had been practicing her magic for the whole evening, after the party had ended & Grimhilde had been brought to her chambers. Evie hadn’t come back to their room until curfew was in effect & Mal had taken the time to practice. It had become easier & easier to summon objects, so she had decided to try her hand again at living things. Deciding a pumpkin would be innocent enough, she had concentrated on how she imagined thé epitome of pumpkinness to look like. Keeping the image in her mind, she muttered the incantation & waved her hands, as the raw magic in the air was once again being concentrated into shape. Finishing the words & ending the gesture, Mal was pleased to see it had worked, but then become less pleased to see she had made it a tad too big. She had thought about a pumpkin alright, but she had neglected to imagine its size. And the fruit now sitting on the ground before her was less pumpkin as more a titan gourd. It stood almost as high as her & had pushed aside everything in the way, causing their beds to be shoved against the wall. “Oh dear…” She muttered as Evie walked into the room, greeting Mal before stopping dead in her tracks. “What the heck is that?! Gods, is that a pumpkin?” Mal looked sheepishly at Evie who stood agape besides her, mouth wide open & gaping at the fruit. “I think I might have neglected to specify its size. But hey! At least it’s not trying to eat us!” She beamed at Evie who composed herself & chuckled at the thing. “True, but how in hell are we going to explain this? I mean, we can get rid of it by donating it to the kitchen staff, though that would mean pumpkin soup for the rest of the week. And no matter what we’ll do, they’ll be asking questions.” Mal knew Evie was right, but then again, Fairy Godmother already knew Mal had been practicing magic when she found out about the wards on the boy’s dorm-room. “We’ll just tell the truth. Doesn’t matter if they know, we simply can’t keep it in here now.” Mal said with a brooding look as she picked up her cell & made the call to staff. When five minutes later one of the cooks knocked on their door & saw the fruit, they were impressed to say the least. “Good gravy! You conjured this! Why? What the duck do you need this big a pumpkin for?” Mal sighed as the cook was circling about the enormous gourd & kept asking questions. “I wanted it smaller, but it didn’t go as planned. Look, can you get it out of here? Just chop it up & wheel it away?” The cook looked puzzled at her as she commanded he’d wheel it away. “Look, it won’t fit through the door or the windows. The only way this thing is gonna leave this room is in pieces. And I need my assistants for that. So it’ll have to wait till the morning. It will take a few hours to even just chop it up & then wrap it up & wheel it to the kitchen. Okay?” Mal sighed before she gave in & agreed…

“Uhm, Captain, are you okay?” Smee was pleading against the locked door of the Captain’s cabin, where Hook had been cooped up for the past night. His renewed optimism had been quickly exhausted & after a short day of a happy Captain ordering the crew around, Hook had gone early to bed & hadn’t opened the cabin when morning had long past & noon was ticking by. “Leave me be, Smee. I wish to see no one right now. Let me be alone…” The Captain’s muffled voice sounded extremely strained & exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept all night. Smee was becoming increasingly worried as he tried to get his Captain to open the door & let him in. Hook in the meantime was languidly resting in his bed, curtains closed & his room darkened into blissful blackness. He hated himself, hated his life, and hated his feelings. Whatever was it that had come over him? Twenty years of being stuck on that Isle had made him extremely depressed at times, but it compared in nothing to what he felt now. Every time he thought, every time he looked down on his crew, he felt the same thing. Disgust. Or at least, he thought it was disgust. He felt a knot, a twist in his chest, anytime he laid eyes upon his first mate, Smee. And the only times he had ever that was when he wanted to throw disobedient mates overboard, haul their ass into the Boo-Box or make them walk the Plank. Did he want Smee to walk the Plank? No, not really. The old man hadn’t betrayed him, at least not that he knew off. Did he want Smee to experience the Boo-Box? No, it wasn’t that either, as he hadn’t disobeyed Hook’s commands at any time. He didn’t want Smee to be thrown overboard either, instead he wanted the first mate to remain close. Hook groaned at this puzzling thing that had kept him awake all through the night. Why couldn’t he just destroy this feeling like he had done with so many other things?

Odie was brooding over her stew as she listened to the whispers of the world around her, how the wind came softly drifting by with news of the world at large on its lips. Mama Odie loved to listen to the wind, as it had always calmed her. As and old friend had once told her, let the winds guide you & you shall never walk astray. Even now, blind & feeble with old age, mama Odie still managed to ever find her way by simply listening to the wind that was never far off. But the news it carried today was very grave indeed & mama Odie decided to do something she had not done for over twenty years. She was going to leave the bayou. The news that the wind was carrying had been about her son & about a thing that the benevolent spirits of the sky shuttered to talk about, an unholy creation that is not of the heavens but only of the darkest depths of hell. Hades be damned if he ever let those dark spirits conjure up such a despicable thing. Her son, it seemed, had made a very bad deal indeed. She called out at her pet-snake, Juju, as she hobbled outside of her hut, leaning over the edge of her boat as she cried loudly into the surrounding bayou. “Come now Juju. Ya mama needs ya! Fairies, pixies, little elves, come ya to help ya mama? A thousand claps for the first to arrive!” She became silent, merely listening as she waited, the wind softly gliding through the bayou as it carried the summons about the whole of Auradon in a matter of minutes. Mama Odie was listening still when the wind stopped in its tracks & the first glimmering lights became visible towards the horizon of the forested mangrove landscape. Twinkling now reached her ears as she yelped in glee & hobbled back inside. “Quick, Juju! Secure the bottles! All of them! We’re gonna go an a trip, heehaw!” She cackled in amusement as the first fairies entered the boathouse.

“Who o’ ya tinies here be the leader then, huh? I need to talk with ya, dear!” An azure faery quickly descended from the gathering crowd of lights above Odie as she spoke, flitting busily about her & chittering away as Odie listened to the small thing talking. “I see. So the wind was right then, eh. That’s some bad juju indeed, gotta fix that, no how!” She conjured her staff from the air, nimbly catching it as it arced down, pointing it to every single light in a fluid swing as she exclaimed for all to hear. “Listen here, y’all! We need some mighty fine memories in here as quick as can be! We gonna make this old canoe fly, y’all understand?” The faeries quickly fled the room as they hurried off into the surrounding bayou, while the first birds were already settling on the many branches of the tree about the boat, as mama Odie merely chuckled. “Lots of dust to make it float, plenty of good memories to make it fly & a strong wind to make it go fast! Ya hear me, ya great puffer up there? Might you be so kind to send me a big puff when I need it?” She chuckled in glee as the wind picked up again & strode through her home, shaking the bottles about in the tree & letting the clattering sound of glass fill the air about her. She hadn’t left her bayou in over sixty years, ever since she came back to it from studying abroad. She had protected it & card for it so long, by now it could last a few months without her around. After all, hadn’t she been preparing it for that inevitable day she had to leave forever & leave it all alone? Trees are slow growers, indeed, but at some point every child needs to grow up & manage without its parent. 

Jafar was caressing Adara with his long fingers as she whimpered beneath his touch, nearly crying as Jasmine was still cursing him while Aladdin hung nearly lifeless from his shackles. Blood was steadily dripping from countless open wounds on Aladdin’s body as Jafar was slowly trailing his bloodstained knife about Adara’s pristine skin. “My, my, dear. Still so soft & not a scar to be found anywhere. How about we change that, huh? Make you cry before your whore of a mother? What do you say, Jasmine, where should I cut first? Perhaps a small cut right above her wrist? Or shall I make a scar on her soft cheek?” Adara was nearly crying as the knife was lifted to her cheek, trying to keep strong like her father taught her. She ignored the foul breath of that vile man behind her as he put his face closer to hers. “Oh, what’s the matter, dear? Don’t like that?” He dragged the edge of the knife across her cheek, cutting the skin & drawing several droplets of blood. “Oh, dear, did that hurt?” Adara tried her best not to cry from the pain, instead trying to focus on the pattern of the floor beneath her. She tried tracing the lines as she felt the man behind her move again, away from her now. “Oh, jasmine, it pains me to do all of this, it really does. But you brought this on your self, you know that, don’t you? If you hadn’t chosen that brat over there,” he gestured towards Aladdin’s form, “then you could’ve had so much more than this & you wouldn’t be in this cage right now. You can still get out, you know. Just say yes to me & I’ll let you go.” He stepped back, yanking Adara up before him as he placed the knife to her throat. She whined as she finally lost her focus & began tearing up. “If you don’t, oh dear, then something very painful is going to happen. And I won’t be enjoying it.”

“Jafar, you son of a bitch! If you hurt her, I swear-“ Jafar interrupted her, conjuring a gag to silence her as she tried to continue. “Ahahah, no foul language here, princess, not anymore. You shouldn’t insult my dear old mother. She was such a feeble woman, she never did approve of my ambitions.” Jasmine tried to remove the gag when suddenly her gaze fell upon Jafar’s wrists. Mere moment ago, she would’ve sworn they were simply clothed with his attire, but now they were covered in golden bracelets. Realizing what it meant, she stopped her struggling & merely looked Adara in the eyes, trying her best to calm her daughter who was softly sobbing now. Jafar, completely oblivious to Jasmine’s realization, merely kept on talking. “She was weak, not loyal to her children. It truly did hurt me & my sister, you know. So we killed her. Oh yes, it might seem drastic, but she had never been good for anything anyway. Even in death, she seemed disappointed in us. Oh, how glad I was to see her finally stop breathing.” He suddenly stopped, gaze locked on Aladdin who had come by & was softly smiling now. Letting Adara go & stepping closer to the shackled sultan, Jafar looked confused. “Now, now, why are you smiling, street rat? You like hearing me talk about how I killed my dear old mother? You like tales of bloodshed, Aladdin, is that it?” Aladdin puffed with pain as he tried breathing in, chuckling now. “Oh no, it’s just… for all your pompous talk about how smart & powerful you are, you seem to have missed a very important thing.” Jafar looked puzzled at Aladdin, who raised his head & looked Jafar straight in the eye. “And what might that be? What could I have possibly missed which you have not, you lowly street rat?” Aladdin merely grinned as he finally brought Jafar’s attention to his wrists. “You seem to have new bracelets.”

Ursula watched in glee as turrets crashed down from above, people screaming & scattering as she made her way into the main-body of the Castle around her. Her Trident seemed to respond to something near her, as it began vibrating & pulsing while she made her way deeper into the castle. Lifting the stones about her to raise her higher into the structure, she merely cackled as people fled in absolute panic-fear from her & the continued tremors that shook the building. She ignored them, they were mere fodder after all. She had bigger fish to fry right now & she could feel the trident react to Triton’s blood. Ariel was somewhere above her still, as the Trident kept resonating whenever she aimed it up high. Eventually it stopped & led her aside, towards a door at the end of the corridor she entered. Making it burst open in a sea of sparks, she was pleased to see that characteristic red hair sprawled on a bed. Aside the youngest daughter of Triton, were seated two figures she recognized but couldn’t possibly be here. “Hecate? Manta?” She stood back, stunned at seeing these two before her before realizing her mistake & seeing they are not her old & long-death allies. “No… You can not be them, yet, how?” Ursula remains standing, stunned at seeing these two likenesses before her. “We’re not your friends, Ursula. We’re Ariel’s children!” Aria snaps at Ursula as Ron hovers protectively over their mother, as Ursula merely watches at them with interest. “My, my. Ariel’s brats are witches? How unexpected?” She cackles as she slowly hovers at the edge of the room, cautiously circling the two children & Ariel. “I can hardly imagine how your mother must’ve felt when she realized. I take it she took it badly, no? After all, having two witches as children after having spent her life fighting against them? What a cruel irony of fate, wouldn’t you say?”

Aria growls as Ursula’s remark as Ron tries his best to keep her calm, while he keeps checking on his mother. Ursula is watching past Aria, looking at the queen sprawled on her bed. “Seems my potion did its job, after all. I was beginning to fear it wouldn’t have made it past the Barrier.” Ron looked up, eyes glaring at Ursula as Aria spoke. “What do you mean? Did you do this?” Ursula looks up at the feisty redhead before her, inspecting her form as she casually leans on the Trident. “My, my. You look almost identical to Hecate. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re just like her. Same feisty attitude, brutal demeanour. I bet you can be just as ruthless. Now, tell me girl, are you perhaps good in potions?” Aria looks puzzled as Ursula, unsure what to say when she decides she can just as well be brutally honest. “Yes. I guess, I mean… Why do you ask?” Ursula grins as she merely turns about, hopping about the edge of the room as she replies. “Ah, dear, I was just quite impressed by that protective spell, you know. I tried it once, never got it to work. If such a spell is easy for you, I can hardly wait to train you as an apprentice. Maybe even a successor. After all,” she grins at the twins as she bend nearly double backwards & aims the Trident in playful display at their mother, “when I’m done here, you won’t have a future unless under my tutorship & control, darlings.” She cackles as she bends back upright, face kept turned towards the anxious twins as they keep themselves between her & their mother. Aria is looking furious as Ron tries to keep calm, all the while an awkward silence filling the room, as occasional tremors keep shaking the castle. They all seem to be waiting for that decisive moment they know is coming…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jafar has become quite a pedophile in behavior in the last chapters, so I'm apologizing for anyone who might experiences triggers due to past events or related anxieties. But Jafar has always been quite a creepy character & this would surely not be above his usual acting behavior at all...
> 
> Hecate, a Greek goddess of dreams, cross-ways & the winds. It's a fitting pseudonym-character for Aria in my opinion, as Aria's powers & abilities certainly have put the future of Seaside on a crossroads between possible salvation & near-certain destruction.  
> Black Manta is a quite obscure Ariel-villain, appearing thrice in the animated series as I have told before so I thought a reminder was in place.
> 
> As for Hook, whatever is going on with him? I certainly don't know~
> 
> Jay, yeah, Jay - he seems to be experiencing something very strange indeed. it seems he's constantly entering someone's personal hell. Whoever could that hell belong to, I wonder? Anyway, I can safely say that it's merely another power of his father manifesting in him, as the innate magic of the Rotten Four keeps developing.


	23. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TBA

Ben & Chad were standing in front of the screens, when they finally got to see what Alice had called them down for, just as Mal entered the room & joined their side. A satellite-feed was streaming down at that very moment & showing them how Seaside stood in the exact centre of a massive storm, which just reached the east-Auradonean coast & trailed hugely towards the east, covering almost half of the entire Eastern Ocean. And right in that eye of the storm, perfectly encircling Seaside, they could see two enormous ribbons tightly against the coast of the island-state as an enormous speck had surfaced & was battling the ribbons head-on. “Are those what I think they are?” Mal asked as Ben & Chad interlocked hands, Alice looking up at Mal who stood clutching at Ben’s shoulder while she looked on. Mal had been called down by Alice, just like Ben & Chad had been, just a few hours ago. It was by now the third day of the Outbreak & they had finally gotten confirmation that Ursula had begun her attack of Seaside & had entered the capital. “Those are Jormungander, indeed. It seems that Ursula is indeed in possession of the Trident of Triton & had transformed her pets in oceanic titans to take Seaside hostage & ensure no one can escape the island as long as she ravages it.” She looks back up at the screen as she zooms in on the slow video-feed & continues commenting. “That speck right there, more than five hundred metres across & attacking the heads of Flotsam & Jetsam, that would be the Kraken. It’s long thought to have been a merely mythological creature, although Triton had implied several times that it was not. Seems he was right, as it seems it was his own pet.” Mal looked down on Alice, who kept her gaze fixed on the screen, as she frowned at this remark. “What to you mean, pet? You can’t be serious? How can he have kept that thing as a pet & no one have notice? I mean, it’s half a kilometre long! You can not not see something like that if it’s swimming freely in the ocean.” 

Alice sighed as she wondered how the very daughter of Maleficent could ever be so dense as she was acting right now. She turned back towards the youngsters standing behind her & locked her gaze on Mal, who still stood clutching at Ben’s shoulder. It was strange to see these three stand together so firmly, as Mal & Chad generally couldn’t stand each other, but their love for Ben seemed to cross that uneasy gap between them as best as anything could. Alice couldn’t help but marvel at the power of a shared love before she finally snapped out of it & remembered what she was gonna say to the purple-haired girl before her. “Obviously it had been kept locked away, as the satellite detected a minor earthquake twenty minutes prior to its surfacing. That happened about half an hour after Ursula’s attack began. So I guess that the Kraken has been released to protect the legacy of Triton’s bloodline, as such powerful beings & artefacts are wanton to do. If my hunches are correct, the Trident won’t be in Ursula’s possession any much longer either. But as to whether or not this Kraken can defeat these two Jormungander, I can’t say for sure. It’s a powerful creature in its own right, but it’s outnumbered & outsized. I won’t get my hopes up too high, not unless some major miracle can happen.” Alice kept her eye on Ben as she awaited his initial reaction to this news, as she knew the young King had been outwaiting her explanations before he’d formulate his own reaction & opinion on the gathered facts. “Alice, contact R&D.” She was surprised as he said this. She definitely hadn’t anticipated this response from the otherwise pacifist boy. “Okay. What do I need to relay?” Ben swallowed dryly, squeezing Chad’s hand as he laid his free hand on Mal’s upon his shoulder. “Allow the usage of Project ‘Sanderson-Gone’. Let them relay the message to my grandfather. He’ll know what I’m talking about. Gods have mercy upon us if this backfires.” He turned back, an arm about Mal’s waist as he pulled Chad away from the screens by the hand, meanwhile Alice dialling R&D to relay the message. “Gods, he better knows what he is doing…” She sighed as she waited for reaction on the other end of the line. Finally someone picking it up, she merely breathed. “Project MinusM is a go! Prepare deployment & await coordinates from high command. Password is Rex-Ophelia-Sweet-Everlasting. Copy? Over…”

Jay & Carlos had been waiting for Mal to return in the lunch-field, basking in the softly shaded sun as it passed through the protective aura above the school. Mal had been called away by Security several hours ago & it had taken a while before she managed to actually leave to go to the office of Alice, head of Security, leaving Carlos & Jay alone in the lunch field. She’d been gone for about an hour by the time she returned, Ben & Chad trailing after her. Jay was first to notice Ben’s holding hands with the blonde prince, softly sighing as he muttered under his breath to Carlos. “Finally, those two got together! Took him long enough to make up his mind.” Carlos didn’t respond, not entirely understanding the situation or Jay’s comment as he only noticed Ben & Chad holding hands by the time they sat down with Mal & the boys. Mal didn’t seem angry about it, so Carlos knew that whatever was going on, it was okay with her. And if it was okay with her, it was okay with him & he wouldn’t make a problem out of it. He was sure she or Jay would explain later. Right now, something altogether different was obviously bothering a very deeply frowning & concerned looking Mal. She remained silent for a few moments, as Ben & Chad were huddled against her & Jay kept smirking at Chad, who merely blushed every time he noticed Jay’s smirking grin. Carlos didn’t dare to interrupt this silence as it went on, before finally nudging Jay in a subtle attempt to make clear he should say something. Jay looked down at him, finally taking the hint & clearing his throat before softly joking. “So, who died?” Mal merely glared up at him, while Ben seemed to snap out of a daydream & Chad looked away. Obviously something very serious was wrong.

“Well, Jay, because you obviously are very serious & curious, do you want the long story, the short version or the really short version?” Jay winced back at Mal’s snap towards him, hiding a bit behind Carlos who looked very affrightedly at Mal, as Jay pushed him forwards towards her. Jay knew Carlos could in no way hold her back if she decided that Jay needed a lesson, but secretly he hoped that the wolf in Carlos could. True, it was cowardly, but the wolf in Carlos could heal from wounds much more quickly & easily than Jay could. Jay looked at Mal from behind Carlos’ shoulders & snapped back in similar fashion, determined to make her feel as pressured or shocked, looking her straight in the eye as his voice sounded piercing & strained. “Everything. Tell everything.” Mal had only a moment to notice the change in Jay’s eyes as he spoke before she felt compelled to spill every detail of every thing she knew of this entire event. She tried to struggle against it, knowing this feeling from her occasional stare-offs with her mother. It wasn’t as strong, but it was somehow much more compelling than she ever remembered it being with her mother. What in hell’s name was this, she cursed silently, as she kept struggling against this suggestion that everything would be better if she told. She gave in, knew she’d have to tell everything sooner than later anyway to the boys before her. But not before she gave a growl towards Jay as she began speaking hurriedly. She could hardly stop herself from divulging too many details that were irrelevant, trying to keep her strained rambling to the main points that were of interest. Ben obviously knew something was wrong as he began focussing on her, trying to help her relax as he rubbed her back & Chad merely tried comforting Ben who was obviously extremely concerned with Mal’s seemingly unending ramble. By the time she finished the hasty retelling of the story she knew, she was completely out of breath & gasped for air, before she turned her attention back to Jay who was looking jackslawed at her while Carlos looked at her, mouth gaping wide & eyes wide-open in shock & disbelief. “Jay, what the fuck? How did you do that?” Jay merely flinched behind Carlos again, before he tried answering Mal. “I dunno. I’ve done it before, when Carlos got locked in that closet a day ago. People just seem to do what I want when I tell them.” Mal stared Jay down, looking past Carlos’ terrified face as she tried to figure out what had just happened.

“Jay, look at me.” She said, sternly, causing Jay to peek out from behind Carlos in response. “Look at me & try that again. I want you to think of what you felt just now. Feel that again & tell me to do something, anything.” Jay wasn’t sure where she was going with this but if she asked, he better do as told. Mal assured Ben, who was till fawning over her, telling him to take a step back with Chad as she looked back in Jay’s eyes before she nodded at him. Jay tried recollecting his thoughts of that moment, feel the same things. He concentrated, wanting her to do as he said, wanting her to feel pressured. He kept concentrating on that feeling as he commanded her. “Rise up.” She saw it again, that brief moment where Jay’s pupils seemed to change completely, almost to those like a snake’s, before she felt that same urge again. She anticipated it now, but decided not to struggle against it. The command was easy enough & she felt her body rise on its own accord, seeing Carlos gasp & Jay stand speechless as she flawlessly did as he asked. “Okay, Jay. Now, do it again. But try not to feel what you felt. Try simply to command me. Make it feel like I need to do it, no matter what I want or you want. Okay?” Jay nodded as he focussed again, Mal nodding to Ben, as to assure him everything was okay. Jay spoke again, his voice once again shrill & piercing. “Back-flip.” Mal couldn’t help but silently groan at the command, before Jay’s eyes changed again, longer than before, & she could feel her body respond to the command once more. As in reflex preparing, she felt her body bend & spring up, doing a perfect backflip as she came back down on both feet nicely. She was actually impressed at the power of that command, how it made her body do something it had never done before. She knew Jay could do back-flips perfectly, so she assumed the spoken command had to draw from knowledge of how something worked perfectly. Surely, if he tried making her do something he couldn’t, it probably wouldn’t work. She breathed, before she spoke again.

“Okay, I think how this works. Jay, what is something you can’t do & neither can I? Can you think of something specific?” She looked at Ben, who was looking puzzled but seemed to connect the dots as well as his frown grew deeper but the light in his eyes grew fiercer. Chad remained behind Ben, clutching at Ben’s hand as he kept watching the scene unfold. Obviously, he had no clue what was happening here. As Doug had said early on in the year, a lot of charm but not much there. Jay pondered for a few seconds, before he settled on something in particular. “Carlos, you got that broken watch still?” Carlos nodded, taking out a battered & worn wristwatch, placing it down on the table as Jay focussed on Mal again. He seemed to get the hang of it now, as he stared her right in the eyes, his own already changing before he had spoken the command. “Repair.” She felt the will struggle at her, but it quickly waned, as it seemed to get no hold on her this time. She grinned as her suspicion was confirmed. It needed a foothold, something to latch unto, to work properly. If there is no know-how on how to perform the command, it can’t work. Subtle, but very meaningful indeed. Jay was looking puzzled, as Carlos instantly seemed to get it, a smile covering his face, as Ben seemed to reach a similar conclusion. Ben spoke first, before Mal got a chance to. “It only works if it can work. If you can’t do it, it can’t work. Hypnosis.” Mal nodded as Jay looked between them & a grin appeared on his face. Mal could only think for a moment before she realized what that grin meant. “Jay, don’t you-“ She didn’t manage to finish the sentence as Jay commanded them at the same moment. “Kiss.”

Mal suddenly noticed that the command wasn’t directed at her, but at Ben & Chad. Both boys suddenly rigid, they faced each other & began passionately kissing one another, their arms flung about as they initiated a sloppy French kiss. She could only groan as she noticed she actually kinda liked this scene, before she turned to Jay, who was laughing his ass off as Carlos was slapping him in admonishment. “Jay, stop that! You can’t force people to kiss! That’s just wrong!” Jay merely wiped his face free of tears as he replied. “Ah, come on. They obviously don’t mind. It’s just for fun, C.” Carlos however became very cross as Jay finished his sentence. “Fun? You think forcing people into a kiss is fun? Jay, after what happened with you as a child, I expected you to understand just how wrong that is.” Carlos clasped his hands before his lips as Jay suddenly stopped laughing, looking as if someone had just stabbed him. “Oh, gods, no, Jay, I didn’t mean it like that.” Carlos was apologizing, as Jay turned away from him, ready to take off before Mal held him by the shoulders. “Jay, no! No running! What did Carlos mean?” Jay couldn’t bear to face her, as he waved a hand & stopped Ben & Chad from continuing their oral assault of each other’s face. Both panting heavily & looking completely flustered, they straightened their clothes a bit before turning to face Jay in mixed emotion. “Jay, what happened?” Mal asked again, as Jay merely sank down & evaded her gaze. Carlos was rubbing his back as he kept whispering apologies to the dark teen. Jay muttered softly, causing Mal to draw in closer before asking him to say it louder. Jay began sobbing as he suddenly yelled at her. “My dad sold my body as a child! There! Happy now?!” He was absolutely in tears as he broke down in her grasp, Carlos placing his own arms underneath Jay’s heaving chest, drawing him close in a tight hug. Mal could hardly comprehend what jay had just shared, before she shared in the hug & tightly squeezed Jay as she began speaking softly to him. “Oh, Jay. I’m so sorry. It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

Chad couldn’t help but feel horribly shitty at hearing Jay yell his confession & break down. Somehow, he could relate to jay’s hurt, even as he never experienced something as remotely horrible as being used alike a whore by your own father. Chad shuttered as he suddenly realized that his own parents had been lucky enough to be free of villains for most of their life while they had unknowingly condemned the villain-children to a lifetime of such torment. It was their fault that this happened, even if they had never intended or even thought something like this could happen. But then again, had his parents not always believed that even villains loved their children? Obviously they had been very wrong, but to think it went as far & bad as this… Chad swallowed as he joined Ben in hugging the dark thief who was crying in Carlos’ arms like a little child. He silently promised himself never to think of Jay as a thief or villain anymore, not after this. If anything, he would think of Jay as simply just another victim of the ruthless villains his parents had hoped to punish. They stayed in the embrace for a while, as Jay kept sobbing underneath their joined hug, all the while Carlos murmuring soft assurances & reciting happy memories to Jay, hoping to ease the teen’s pain. After almost twenty minutes, Jay had stopped sobbing & merely held Carlos’ arms tight to his own body, not wishing to let go of the smaller teen. Chad was glad they had found each other, as he knew now how feeling loved by your Mate felt. Obviously their connection was extremely strong, in contrast to his own with Ben, which was merely beginning but already felt as if he never could life without it anymore…

“Thanks, guys. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you do that. I’m so sorry.” Jay began apologizing to Ben & Chad, chest still heaving from the crying, as he stuttered a few times. “It’s okay, Jay. You didn’t hurt us. I’m just sorry you had to experience… that…” Ben replied as he gave Jay a last hug before letting the dark teen stand up & sit down on the bench next to Carlos who immediately took jay’s hands in his own. “Well… Now at least we know what’s been happening. Seaside overrun…” Carlos began, as he rubbed Jay’s hands while looking at Mal, who nodded sternly. “Yeah… It’s a shitty situation to say the least. Don’t know how Seaside can be helped. Ships won’t be there fast enough to help before Ursula can win. Ben, is there anything Auradon can do at this moment?” Ben looked gravely at Mal before he nodded, softly speaking as he spoke of the little he knew. “My grandfather designed a machine that can destroy otherwise indestructible magical artefacts, by siphoning away their magical energy & dispersing it into the environment. If Seaside falls to Ursula’s hand, we’re gonna use it to destroy the Trident & strip her of her powers. But that will also mean that Seaside won’t be habitable anymore…” Mal looked at Ben, puzzled, speaking in worry as he didn’t continue. “What do you mean? What’s gonna happen if that device is used?” Ben remained silent for a few seconds, before he replied quickly. “As I said, it disperses magic into the environment. But it’s doesn’t dilute it. It just dumps all the raw magical energy into its immediate surroundings. For something like the Trident, that means covering the entire island in unstable magical energy. It will effectively be completely sterilized…” Mal gasped as she realized the implications & consequences of such an event. “No one will survive. Or ever live there again…” Ben nodded solemnly as Carlos let out a stuttering sigh, Jay merely looked horrified & Chad seemed as pale as a ghost.

Their silent horror was suddenly broken by a loud thunder, as the aura around the school seemed to ripple under the sound. They looked up, amazed to see a star appear in the cloudy sky, before realizing it wasn’t a star at all. Flying directly towards them, at meteor like speed & glowing red hot like an iron poker, was a lampas black as night. Before they had time to duck for cover, it burst right through the protective field, whining loudly before it crashed directly through the table they were sitting on & blasted them away with a shockwave as it bored itself into the ground beneath. A vapour trail visible on the sky & a small column of smoke issuing from the burning remains of the table, Jay was first to get up in a daze as he inspected the crater that had formed before them. He was amazed to see that the lamp was still intact, as he had recognized it for a split-second before it had impacted before them. He could see Ben, Chad & Mal lie still a few feet away as Carlos was already stirring awake behind him. Carlos had managed to push them both away from the impact before the shockwave had hit them. They had easily been thrown through the air & landed relatively softly. Somehow, Jay recognized this lamp as he reached out to it. Strangely enough, it didn’t feel that hot & Jay grasped it, slowly hauling it from the ground in which it had been firmly embedded. He could hear Carlos gasp behind him, as the younger boy saw him lift the seemingly blazing hot lamp out of the ground with bare hands. Indeed, it felt simply warm, as if someone had held it for a long time. Yet, it seemed to glow with heat, as air wavered about it. He rubbed it, trying to remove some of the dirt from the engravings that were being obscured. Only then did he realize what he had just done, as a trail of dark smoke began emitting from the lamp in his hands.

Jafar had only a few seconds to realize what was going on when he had seen the bracelets on his wrists, pointed out to him by that filthy street rat. Obviously, his Djinn-powers had returned without him realizing they had, but he had only a split-second to rage before he sensed the world dim around him as his lamp had formed & drawn him into it, sealing him away. In the smothering darkness so characteristic of the lamps, strangely illuminated by a myriad of faint colours, he could feel it rise high above everything else as it broke through something, probably the roof of the palace. Before he could adjust to the quick ascension, he felt as if he was being jerked about, from left to right & back to the left. His confusion only grew when he suddenly felt the lamp plummet at incredible speed. It must have travelled up at least twenty miles before it had suddenly moved sideways & stopped ascending. It was obvious he had gone into free fall as a rather low angle. At this rate, it would take several minutes before he’d hit the ground & he had already picked up momentous speed. When the lamp hit the ground, it would leave at least a sizeable crater he knew. All the while, the descend kept on going. He wasn’t even sure that he would ever land, when he suddenly felt the lamp jerk, as if something tried to keep it back & was heavily jostled about when it finally hit ground with enormous force. He could hear yells, splintering wood, fire crackling… he was utterly confused when the lamp started moving again, slowly rising, then a grating sound as if something coarse rubbing against paper. He saw a light, an opening. He suddenly realized with a shutter he was being summoned. He felt stretched, pale, and thin. Then he stood on a manicured lawn, wood splintered all about him, some on fire, before he saw the figure before him which suddenly went very rigid as they recognized each other & both cursed…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBA


	24. Hellfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell-fire, Brimstone & Sulfur, Where fated souls meet their doom...
> 
> Hell is many things, exists through many things. Hell for one is heaven for the other. And likewise is Heaven.
> 
> A villain-centric chapter, focussong on Mim, Yzma & the Red Queen. Enjoy!

The troop of Auradon Forces was still standing guard by the entrance of the Red Castle when the first signs of movement were seen at the edge of the Nowhere. Crashing lumberingly through the trees were enormous things, almost looking like statues, except they seemed lit from within as red glowing light emanated from the orifices in the heads. Their chests too were faintly glowing, giving an extremely eerie scene as they began walking out of the wood, towards the guards. Not knowing what to expect & having been instructed to prevent anything from leaving the Red Castle or the Isle, they knew only one thing to do. “Aim! Take aim! Keep those things back!” The Captain yelled as his man sprang into position & aimed their riffles at the wandering golems. The things gazed at the men, the artificial faces unmoving & the carved eyes unblinking. The Captain could hear them gurgle, probably the closest thing to speaking these things could ever do. “Fire!” A salvo of shots went off, aimed at the foremost golems, which staggered back as the slugs made contact with their ceramic bodies. Doing nearly no damage at all, the golems merely lumped forward again & continued their marching approach. The Captain was vaguely aware of a gate opening as he yelled once more. “Take aim! Focus on the one closest! Ready! Fire!” Another series of shots, aimed at the golem nearest to the group of soldiers. Its face blew away in large chunks as its molten interior became exposed to the outer air, which rushed into the searing hot cavity of the hollow form. An eerie high whistling sound resonated as suddenly the golem nearly exploded & send pieces of arm, leg & chest flying all around. The Captain had but a second to cheer when he suddenly saw a figure stride past his men & him. The first thought that came up in association with this strange figure was “doll”, but as it strode further in view, giving him a decent look at what exactly it was, he became very distressed indeed…

The Red Queen had heard the commotion of the soldiers scrambling to prepare their fire. When she saw what they were aiming at, she knew that the deal she had made had been just in time, as she had feared. Now it was time to use the Horned King’s puppets against him. She strode out of her chambers, silently singing as she went along. “'I’ve got no strings to hold me down~ to make me fret, or make me frown~ I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me~” When she finally exited the castle garden through the main gate, the soldiers had just fired a second time, destroying a single golem with their combined fire as it exploded a second after it started crumbling. “Amateurs.” She spoke, her voice lightly echoing as she took her stand before the soldiers, concentrating on the silent puppets still lumbering towards her. “Claim.” She commanded as she stretched out her arms, black smoke issuing from her open veins as it began encircling the halting golems, which seemed confused by her behaviour. The smoke, actually merely the Friends of Facilier, enclosed the ceramic puppets as it began filling them. Their glowing eyes seemed to dim for a second, before the red glow became more intense & shifted to a searing hot blue hue. The bodies creaked & whistled as they heated up to their maximum, fissures & cracks forming on stressed locations as they turned about & began walking towards the forest, where still more golems were solemnly marching out of. “Destroy!”

The golems aren’t quite sure why they are doing what they do, but as they hear this strange thing command them, their blood seems to react. And somehow they know that is wrong, that they shouldn’t have blood. Only fire & rage, yet there is something flowing in them now, a liquid heat that courses over the inside surfaces of their furnace like chests. It is calling to them, commanding them, to do as the strange woman asks. And they obey, for what else can golems do. They are build to obey & obey they will. They turn, see their new targets, strangely distorted by the heat that somehow interferes with their preternatural sight. They scream or do their best to scream, & lunge at the wandering shapes that approach them. Fists are raised, lowered & make contact with stone-cold clay that shatters under their own blazing hands. They feel happy, delighted. These new targets are so easy to destroy & they keep raising fists, keep hammering the wandering targets that don’t even fight back. They look about, see through many eyes as several of the targets suddenly become solid shapes & turn around with them. They are many & are becoming more, as more & more targets seem to change & follow. Soon they stampede over a ground strewed with debris of clay parts, ceramics scattered everywhere as a few lonely trees burst into flame when some of the targets are knocked open & their inner contents spill over the tinder-dry wood. The entire scene becomes lucid to the mind of the golems, as the targets disappear one by one, yet more keep coming from far away, wandering out of the thickening fog. The flaming trees barely light up the scene & their flickering flames hardly penetrate the strange fog that remains rooted to one spot. The golems don’t understand, don’t need to understand so they keep marching & keep destroying whatever target comes their way.

The Captain stood merely looking on, unbelieving the evidence of his own eyes as the golems turned against themselves. The subtle colour-change was obvious enough & the blue-burning statues began clobbering the still red-glowing ones, as the strange figure started walking forward towards the forest, heels clicking on the broken pavement as it went. He had the strange sensation that what he was witnessing was very important, but the Captain couldn’t really understand why. He debated for a moment whether or not they should fire at this strange woman, but seeing how she had taken over those nearly indestructible golems with a flick of her hands, he thought it wisest to keep her on their side. Of course, he had no idea what she’d do once finished with the remaining golems, but that was a problem for later. Right now, he needed to safeguard the bridge of the Isle to make sure no one else could slip on or off it. “Retreat! Fall back to the bridge! Take stations there! Go!” His men slowly retreated as they backed up towards the bridge, through the abandoned main-street. He kept his eyes on the strange woman who was still walking towards the Nowhere, her pose & way of walking betraying a mind determined to kill whomever opposes her tonight. Before he turned however, she spoke to him. “Keep that bridge clear. Don’t bother with keeping humans away from it. You’ll have bigger things to worry about soon enough. And better call those officers of yours.” She glanced backwards, her unnatural red eyes piercing his soul as she kept speaking, “War is breaking out tonight.”

The Horned King was braying & bellowing with rage, his powers going amok in unbridled hatred as he forewent every form of self-control. Green fire was leaping about the room, stones were crumbling to dust underneath muttered hexes, goblins were flung about by invisible hands that clutched them by the throat & ripped out tracheae’s in fury. He was losing it, so angered by the fact that his golems were being taken over or destroyed one by one. He had expected the accursed things to last longer, but he knew that they would have, if indeed not that other force had begun fighting back against his own. He knew this power, recognized it for what it was & he felt scared for the first times since his resurrection. They were back & they were coming for him. He kept raging, kept screaming as he threw, whatever remained of the death goblins strewn about him, into the Cauldron standing before him. It was nearly finished, almost restored. All it needed now was unwilling victims, flesh to fuel its supernatural rage & powers. And these goblins would have to do. He had done with less in the past, so this would more than suffice for now. Eventually he could begin dropping in more appropriate & plump victims in it, to keep the Cauldron decently fed. The living goblins still remaining were fleeing for their lives as he let his powers drag them back up into the tower, to drop their wriggling & screaming forms into the seething Cauldron beneath them. It was frothing with disgusting slime, as green fires stoked it up & made the soup of poisons, venoms & dissolving flesh boil & stew. Once enough flesh had been supplied, the soup would turn & evaporate, leaving nothing else behind but the very essence of expunged life. Then the real fun could begin. The Horned King’s bellowing was becoming interspersed by cackling laughter as the Cauldron began glowing ominously, the elaborately engraved decorations glowing from within. It was almost complete now, just a few more hours.

The golems kept advancing through the Nowhere, slowly lumbering through the dense fogs that surrounded the new land bridge towards the Forbidden Fortress. The Red Queen was following behind her stone servants, as they went on. But before any of them had even set foot on that new land-bridge, she felt a tremor & watched in fascination as from the Fortress, a pillar of green ghoulish flame burst forth once more into the clouded skies that hung unending above it. The green glow she had seen before permeated the clouds again, as green flame lit them up from above, casting a venomous light throughout the forest. But different to before, she saw that the pillar didn’t remain unmoving. Mere seconds after it penetrated the cloud cover, it came down again, high above the Queen & her golems. It crashed down with loud thunder as it struck the land bridge & coiled along the coastline on either of its sides like an enormous green serpent determined to block their way. It just barely avoided the bridge, nearly causing it to collapse & isolate the Fortress again, but it kept coming down. Green flames erupted all along the coastline where the column razed, a curtain of fire of several metres high blocking their every way unto the Forbidden Fortress itself. She was impressed with this trick, had only heard of something similar just once, long ago. Obviously he wanted to stall her as he undoubtedly prepared finishing his move before letting her even approach his new abode. Beyond the green wall of flame, she could hear screams issue forth from the Fortress, as tiny moving things were frantically running away from a certain tower. She could just barely see it all happen, as the flames kept leaping higher & restricting her view of the Fortress. But she didn’t mind. She had no other plans. She could wait all day long…

“Orddu, has anyone ever told you that you’re a cruel, cruel Fate?” Calliope joked as she overlooked the scene in the Mirrormere, which showed a father & son reunited, even though they hate each other’s guts. Orddu softly cackled before she replied, bearing a massive grin on her face. “Oh, isn’t that the point of destiny, Calli? How does that phrase go again? Fate is a cruel Mistress?” Thalia stood frowning besides Calliope, responding to Orddu’s comment a few seconds later. “I don’t know, Or. If this is your idea of a joke, it’s a cruel one indeed. This can’t end well, can it?” Orddu shrugged her shoulders as Orwen & Orgoch merely nodded in silent agreement with whatever their sister was about to say. “Life isn’t fair. Deal with it, I always say.” Terpsichore watched Orwen & Orgoch nod, as she watched Calliope keep frowning. “Don’t sweat it, Call. He’ll manage. He’s a dancer, that kid. Believe me, I know.” She grinned as she bumped her hip at her sisters, as she kept talking. “He’ll wriggle & jostle his way out of this conundrum. He’s good a good heart & quick feet.” Calliope smiled at her sister as she nodded in agreement. “That is true. You’re right, Terps. I sometimes forget how resilient mortals can be. I even dare to wager that Orddu has already seen he’ll survive, right?” Orddu merely smiled at Calliope’s comment before responding. “Maybe, maybe not. I might be the Fate of What Will Be, but that doesn’t mean I can just look into the Future & see what will be. After all, what can be & will be is very different from what should be…”

Orddu silenced the others as the Mirrormere changed scene, now showing them a dark figure clad in shadows & glowing red from within. “Oh dear…” Orddu started, as the Muses clasped their hands together in shock as all watching realized what they were looking at. Orddu groaned as she faced Calliope & besieged her with questions. “How come they’re out? Didn’t y’all have a looong talk with Hades? He said he’d never let them out!” Calliope shook her head as she replied to Orddu, her hand held to her forehead as she felt a migraine kick in. “Hades can’t release Them, not anymore. But They can be released if They’re called upon. But I never thought that anyone still knew about Them. We made sure there were no tales left on Earth about any of Them. Gods, Zeus is not gonna be happy…” Orddu shook her head disbelieving at this, as she sighed exasperated. “Zeus? Zeus is the least of our worries dear! I know we should’ve restricted those stupid spirits! It’s probably their fault! Mirrormere, show the past of what is shown!” The lake rippled as the displayed scene began playing backwards, going back in time as the watchers merely gazed upon it. “There! A deal! That dumb witch doctor & that idiotic queen made a deal! But how does she know about them? Gods, we’ve got to fix this!” Orddu exclaimed & was about to use her powers, before a thundering voice interrupted her. “Head the Rules! The Past is past! Forgive & Forget!” Orddu shrank as the voice boomed about them, shaking the very lake itself, causing the scene to shift again to the present. “Orddu! What were you thinking?” Calliope hissed, as Thalia & Terpsichore restrained the oldest of the Muses from attacking the Fate of the Future. “We’re not allowed to interfere! You know that!” Orddu scoffed as she turned around & showed her back to the Muse. “Don’t care! This is not right. Someone needs to fix it!” Calliope merely hissed, as she resisted the iron grips of her sisters & tried to lunge at the Fate. “That’s what the mortals are for, you old crone! Let them handle it!”

Orgoch & Clio were seated on the other end of the lake, avoiding the drama that was so common between the other Fates & Muses. They were al deities closely intertwined with the Tapestry of History & it was natural for them to bicker & argue most of the time. But Orgoch & Clio never cared much for drama. Being a Fate of the Past & a Muse of History makes you realize very early on that most, if not all, drama is merely a consequence of misunderstanding what has happened before & often merely perpetuates a never-ending cycle of “Make a mistake, Misconstrue it, Fix it, And Repeat”. They were busy watching the Present unfold as they recognized the influences of the Past everywhere. “She’s from Wonderland originally, no? We didn’t think of expunging every trace of Them in other Realities. Didn’t think we had to, seeing how most of those places don’t have a real History anyway & the past is systematically undone in the more unstable worlds.” Clio was talking to Orgoch, who merely nodded in agreement at the remarks of the youngest of the Muses. They turned the Crystal Eye between them around a few times, to focus the Past of the Present & overlay its image unto that of the Mirrormere. “Doesn’t seem like a lot of real History or Past has managed to survive in that place. It’s a miracle that this Red Queen managed to even make a connection to Wonderland from such a present-filled place. One in a million chance, I’d say. But you know what they say about one to a million chances.” Orgoch & Clio finished the sentence in unison, nearly chanting it aloud together. “One-in-a-million chances succeed once every ten times after all.”

Clio really liked the Fate of the Past, perhaps because Orgoch was less keen on forgetting old stories & events, as she always said “If you forget the stories of your past, you can not forge new stories for your future. Forget your past & you’re sure to merely repeat it.” And Orgoch was right. Clio had seen it happen so many times, over & over again. When Atlantis fell, so much was lost. Writing was forgotten, reading became impossible. Mathematics regressed to knuckle counting & agriculture became virtually non-existent overnight. It had taken humanity almost three thousand years to get back on its feet & just learn how to easily write, read & sing again. Egypt rose, stagnated for a while until it fell under Rome. In the mean while, Olympus had risen, the Gods appeared & humanity got boosted up for a time. But the Gods soon saw that humans didn’t want to improve if the Gods merely protected them. So the Gods left & humanity nearly fell again. Just in time did a new empire, Rome, rise & hold on to any resemblance of civilisation while at the same time killing off the stagnated culture of Egypt. But they grew too large after less than a thousand year & when a new cult began to glorify ignorance, it didn’t take long before that empire really fell, again overnight. And everything was reset once more. And then it took about a thousand years before a new civilisation arose. But this time it didn’t focus on one location. No, humanity seemed to have learned its mistake & advanced cultures arose on five very different locations. And it kept growing & growing, till it was here today. Nearly back at the same level as Atlantis, which had been rediscovered, with all its knowledge & power just barely intact. That ancient culture had been saved by good fortune, by that one-in-a-million chance. Clio & Orgoch had been ecstatic the day they found out & it took a while before any of the others had finally realized the potential of this fact. But still…

Clio could see the patterns of the Past that had become intertwined into the Present as a result of action & reaction, cause & consequence. From a light bulb inspired via a long chain of discoveries to a brick whose technology is thousands of years old. In the very scene, past & present stood side by side as they strove to meet the future. Clio couldn’t help but find it both poetic & romantic. But, then again, that could merely be a result of her innate passion with the subject. In fact, her seemingly long train of thought was cut off after just a few short seconds, before she heard the argument between Orddu & Calliope reach its usual climax as the two shouted one last time against each other & then marched off to go sit on opposite sides of the Mirrormere. Orgoch rolled her eyes besides her as the drama finally ended & the others all dispersed along the side of the lake. “Every single day the same story. You’d think they’d get over it. But no, they have to show who’s best, who’s right. Sheesh, drama-queens, both of them.” Clio giggled as Orgoch refocused on the Eye, which was still projecting the Past upon the Present. “You know, Clio, maybe we can still nudge fate a bit & make this icky situation a bit less tricky.” Orgoch softly whispered as she grinned a toothy smile.

Yzma & Mim awoke to the sound of gunshots, jolting awake upright in a matter of seconds before they realized what had happened. As Yzma slowly turned towards the window, she saw a bat-shaped figure seemingly bend over the windowsill. “So, it worked. Are you-“ The figure cut off her question, as it answered in a hoarse voice that seemed almost too deep to be audible. “Yes. I am he. Why have you summoned me?” Yzma stood gaping at the figure, which stood darkly silhouetted against the descending sun, as she tried to catch her train of thought. “Ah, yes! Well, because I think you might be interested to hear that the Horned King is alive. And near…” The figure stirred, lifting a batwing up to peer beneath it at her, a luminous eye inspecting her. “So I felt. What of it?” Yzma staid silent as she tried to figure out why this wasn’t important to the figure. “But- surely you want to have revenge on him? I mean, he stole some of your oldest magic & spells!” She exclaimed, hoping to stir some doubt in the figure as to whether or not it should go after the Horned King. “Yes, he did. But then he died & the debt was repaid. I took back what was mine by right. And then he was revived, as is allowed under certain circumstances.” Yzma couldn’t understand why the figure kept so calm. If it had been her, a lifetime of torment wouldn’t have been enough to satisfy her need for revenge & payback. “But- How- Goddamnit!” She finally lost her calm, put down her foot & pointed a finger at the figure that didn’t seem to have expected her to become enraged. “Listen here you stupid tit of a bat! I didn’t spend twenty years on this godforsaken island, eating rubbish & rotten food, drinking disgusting beverages & living without my potions & lab, hearing those idiotic half-baked villains drone on & on about their perfect schemes & about their damned archenemies twenty-four-seven, or have my best friend cut off a piece of her own skin to summon you, merely to have you act like an insolent brat who decides that my anger isn’t justified or that my rage is not my problem! Because it damn well is! If you don’t cooperate, I’ll throw so many potions at you that you won’t be able to return to your home for the next one thousand years without being summoned back to someone else, anyone else, to be pestered by their rage & fury! Do you understand me, you half-wit idiotic pathetic excuse of a demon!” She prodded her finger furiously in the muscled chest of the figure as she had strode over to it & stood up straight against the taller figure, her eyes aflame with rage & her voice as stern & cold as arctic ice, grating over the walls of the room & ears of the listeners.

The figure stood blinking against her, not quite sure what just happened or what she just said or wanted to say to him. He pondered for a few seconds, as Yzma stood panting before him, flames still in her eyes, as she kept silent, waiting for him to respond. “To think that I, Chernabog, am to be berated by an old mortal woman.” He chuckled, the laughter soon growing into a thundering roaring, booming about the cave as he kept on laughing. Yzma however remained stern, her rage focussed tightly in her mind, as she waited for him to finish. Mim didn’t dare to move, couldn’t. She stood frozen to the spot the entire time, as she saw Yzma berate the demon, wishing dearly that her friend would stop. If anything, Chernabog would probably punish her. She knew well enough the pain that he could inflict. After all, many witches & dark sorcerers end up summoning him up at one point or another. And most of them always ended up making either a deal with him or stealing some of his powers before banishing him again. He let them, of course, because they always ended up in his clutches, no matter what they did in life. Death comes for everyone after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chernabog is more human-sized, alike the version of him that appears on OUAT.


	25. Renaissance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renaissance, literally translated as "rebirth", a shaking off the chains of the past, moving beyond the traumas that have healed & learning to accept your life as it begins a new chapter. An often-used literary trope in sequels & follow-up stories to coming-of-age stories, whereby the heroes & heroines of the story learn how to deal with new-found insights & resolve the final internal conflicts regarding their often-troubled pasts.
> 
> Jay & Jafar face off, after four months apart. What will happen when father & son, each hating the other, finally deal with each other?

They stood rooted to the spot in surprised shock, as their minds began processing the scene that had just appeared in front of them. Manifesting from the billowing & dark smoke, that had erupted from the night-black lamp in Jay’s hands, was the rising figure of Jafar. The old sorcerer stood silent for a second, face blank in confusion, as he seemed to process as well what had just happened, just where he was exactly. But after a mere second, the confused look turned into a fierce scowl aimed towards Jay as realisation kicked in. “You filthy blood-traitor!” Hitting Jay in the face with the back of his hand, Jafar began beating down upon the dark teen who seemed paralyzed with fear & disbelief at his father’s sudden presence. Carlos couldn’t believe his eyes, as he saw Jay fall to the ground with blood dripping from the large cut Jafar’s ring had made in his cheek. Instantly, he could feel the wolf in him growl & bare its teeth, Carlos following the example almost instinctively as he bared his teeth & hunched towards the old sorcerer before him. Jafar noticed him, turned to face Carlos who had changed a little, as his canines elongated & his nails dug into claws again. Jafar seemed momentarily perturbed as he remembered just what curse Ursula had laid on this pale child before him. But then again, was he not now a Djinn once more? He straightened up, barely noticing the girls that were busily buzzing just behind him, as he lifted his arm & flicked his hand, lifting a surprised Carlos up into the air. Sending his hand down, Carlos was flung to the ground, a loud grunt forced out of him, followed by a pained whimper. Jafar was repeating the action a few times before he suddenly felt his body completely seize up. He felt the pull of something behind him, calling unto him. Turning around without willing to do so, he was shocked to see Jay hold the lamp in his hands, aimed towards him. Jay’s face was contorted with rage & fear, obviously aimed at the boy Jafar had just begun to toy with, blood trickling down from the cut & corner of Jay’s mouth. “Listen to me, genie!” Jay spit out the word towards Jafar with a hateful expression on his face, eyes gazing at Carlos who was scrambling up again. “You’re my slave now, father, mine. And you shall do as I say!” Jafar scowled at his son, a gaze filled with malice & hatred scanning Jay from top to bottom. “You wouldn’t dare make me obey, boy. You’re my son, no matter how much of a traitor you are! And you shall listen to me, your father!” Jay straightened up, an aura of hate & power radiating from his body as he gripped the lamp tighter, causing Jafar to stumble to his knees & bow. “No, Jafar. You will obey me.” Jafar saw the change in Jay’s eyes & could only chuckle as he realized just what was happening before his very eyes. 

“Seems like you take after me in the end, even after all your mother did trying to change you, boy. I had always feared you to be more like that whore of a bitch. But this,” He raised his arm, flicking his hand & changing Jay’s eyes as they were mere seconds ago, “this is all me after all. Isn’t it wonderful, Jay, the power to make others do as you wish? Isn’t it thrilling?” Jay remained silent, eyes locked on Jafar as he tried to decide what to do next. “I don’t care.” Jafar blinked, a bit surprised by the answer, unable to process just what Jay meant. “What?” Jafar queried, looking extremely puzzled as he waited for a response on Jay’s part. Jay merely repeated his answer, eyes now locking with those of the other three, one by one, as he scanned them for injuries. “I don’t care if I can do that. I won’t, not if I can help it. I’m not you. I’m better than you. But what I will do,” he raised the lamp higher, making Jafar rise before him, yet bowed down before them still. “What I will do is ask for three wishes.” Jafar remained calm, letting his anger & disappointment with Jay bubble just underneath the surface as he tried to formulate a way to get out of this problem. Wishes are easy, but the best part about wishes is that they can be all in his advantage if they’re not specific enough. “Wish number one, they shall be exactly as I envision & will not be allowed to become advantageous to those who wish ill upon Auradon.” Jafar cursed silently, as he now knew & saw that his son had been smarter than expected, than he had ever given him credit for. Then again, wasn’t he the one who told all the stories about genies & bad wishes all his life? Did he really think he could foil Jafar, former grand-vizier of Agrabah? Idiot. “Wish number two, you will make sure that Agrabah is back anew, that any damage done by any villain upon any city is undone. Nothing left out, nothing excluded! Got it?!” Jafar merely mumbled as Jay continued on. “Wish number three, you will become human. Utterly & completely human. Fragile, powerless & old. And you’ll leave Auradon, never to come back. Otherwise, “Jay nodded towards Carlos, “I’ll send Carlos & his pack after you to maul you apart. You obviously know what’s been happening to Carlos so you know just how primal his inner-wolf can be if need be.” Jafar couldn’t help but be impressed & enraged by Jay’s cold demands, at how much his son resembled him in his youth.

“Your wishes are my commands, my lord. But you have to say them properly, of course.” Jafar grinned slyly at Jay, who merely remained stoic. Carlos had walked over to him & began dapping the blood from the cut on Jay’s cheek as Jafar spoke. “But perhaps you want to review some of those wishes. Isn’t there anything you wish for yourself? Like, perhaps a cure for your… partner?” Jafar had to bite his tongue not to fall in vile retort as he spoke of the boy next to Jay. What they did, what they were, was just vile & unnatural. That any fruit of his loins could ever partake in such filthy behaviour… If he got out of this bind, he would make sure his boy understood just how filthy his behaviour was. He would make him look on as he would cut open the filthy pup next to him. Jay tensed as Jafar finished, immediately lowering the lamp & forcing Jafar on his knees again. “I make the wishes! I decide what you will do! You just do it! Now shut up! I wish for all my wishes to become exactly as I envision them, without loopholes or exceptions!” Jafar sighed, couldn’t immediately see a way out, but whatever. He could find a loophole later on. The other wishes hadn’t been uttered just yet. “As you wish, so I do.” Jafar raised his staff & hit the ground with it, a soft wind erupting from him outwards as the wish was fulfilled. “It is done, as you wished, my lord.” Jafar said as he bowed low before Jay, grinning sourly as he did so. 

Jay looked down in contempt upon his father, who was grovelling before him. He hated being this near to his father, especially now that he was a Djinn again. He smelled all wrong & his attack on Carlos couldn’t be forgiven. He just wanted this to be over with as quickly as possible. He was intent on finishing this today, speaking his second wish. “I wish for all damage done by villains throughout Auradon to be repaired!” Jafar sighed again, staff butting the ground once more as another wave of magic radiated out from the spot & made the trees sway. “It is done. All damage done by me or any other villains has been undone. All is as it was before.” Jafar spoke as Jay kept gazing down on him, while the girls were busy behind them. Mal was casting her own spells around the site as she was quickly thumbing through her Spellbook & reciting incantation after incantation. Jay looked up from Jafar for a second & saw that Mal had created an obscuring barrier about them, probably to keep noisy eyes out & prevent anyone from figuring out what was happening. Jay knew that the crash should’ve gathered a crowd, but he couldn’t see well beyond the barrier. There was movement just outside of it, but he couldn’t see exactly what caused it. It didn’t matter, he thought as he turned back to Jafar who was still bowed down, waiting for the third wish. “I wish for you to be a weak & powerless human again. I wish for you to be at your weakest, for the rest of your time in all of the worlds, be it this one or any other.” Jafar scowled. Jay was pleased to see that Jafar obviously hadn’t expected this wish to be quite as specific as it was. “Be careful, son. You could make better wishes than this one.” Jafar said, clearly expecting to change Jay’s mind but Jay merely grinned at him. “Do as you are told, genie.” He spat out the last word, as Jafar sighed & let the but of his staff hit the ground once more. 

The change was more disappointing than anything else. The elaborate vizier-garments evaporated as Jafar was becoming smaller again, pudgier almost. What was left standing before them in the end, after the smoke & dust had cleared away, was Jafar as the kids had known him on the Isle. Overweight, small & balding, with only tattered clothing left draped about his form. Jay didn’t hide his disgust as he merely smashed the disintegrating lamp unto the ground & turned around, taking Carlos by the hand to immediately inspect the damage Jafar had inflicted on the boy mere minutes ago. Mal slowly lowered the barrier about them as Evie joined Carlos & Jay. The moment the surrounding cloak vanished, a group of people rushed in, led by Fairy Godmother who looked extremely furious until she saw Jafar seated in the grass. Mal held her hand up before anyone could speak, preventing anyone from speaking with a simple spell, as she spoke to Fairy Godmother. “Here’s one of the villains of the Isle of the Lost. No doubt you remember Jafar, but maybe not quite like this. You lock him up now, seeing how his powers have been removed completely. Though it would be better if he were not to remain in Auradon. Rather send him to Agrabah where he shall probably be punished properly.” She waved her hand again & the voices of the group before her were returned. Nobody spoke as Fairy Godmother, looking as if she didn’t knew whether to yell, berate or congratulate Mal, took in the sight of a slumped down & defeated Jafar before her. Nodding at a pair of security agents behind her, they took Jafar up by the arms & led him away from the spot, as the rest of the group slowly dispersed about the kids & Fairy Godmother. Fairy Godmother herself stood gazing at the Rotten Four for a few moments before she turned to speak at Mal. “Mal, what you did, what you conjured… You will be given detention for using unapproved magic on school-property. However, regarding the situation, which you somehow inexplicably diffused perfectly & neatly, I might limit detention to just one session instead of a full month. As for you, Jay,” She turned to the dark teen who looked up from his inspection of Carlos’ face & chest, “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to dal with your father like that. It just isn’t right.” Jay scoffed as he turned back to Carlos, muttering loudly in response to her. “If you mean to say, it isn’t right that you all convicted every single descendant of a villain to prison for life, then yeah…” Fairy Godmother looked taken aback by the remark, as she kept silent for a few seconds, before turning back to the school, leaving the Four alone.

Carlos had sustained quite a few bruises from his being trashed about by Jafar, which had caused Jay to growl in displeasure at the sight when he was inspecting Carlos’ chest & back for wounds. Carlos couldn’t help but chuckle at the way how Jay had began copy certain of Carlos’ more animalistic tendencies over the past days. Growling wasn’t a big change, seeing how Jay had done that for years, even if it was just from time to time & not really typical behaviour until recently. But biting & licking were the most typical tendencies Jay had began to copy from Carlos in the past two days. Of course Carlos didn’t bite often but he did lick quite a lot nowadays, whenever he saw a wound or something worth lapping up, which could be very… specific yet ambiguous. Carlos winced a bit when Jay’s fingers traced the biggest bruise & pressed into the tender spot. Jay gave it a kiss before he let Carlos put his shirt back on, as they stood up & began walking back to the school. Carlos knew Jay was in a foul mood, with good reason. Jay hated his father, even if he seldom showed or mentioned it. And he had every reason to hate Jafar, as Carlos knew. The past months had shown Carlos that he had not been the only one with an extremely abusive parent, which didn’t surprise him as much as he thought it would a few years ago. But it didn’t matter, not anymore. They were all free from the abusive forces that were their parents now, taken out of their lives one way or another. Carlos still shuddered as he remembered the crack of a breaking neck between his teeth, but it no longer filled him with disgust as it had the first day afterwards. They arrived in their dorm five minutes later & Carlos was not surprised when Jay finally broke down & began crying, softly at first.

“It’s okay, Jay. No need to hold back…” Carlos whispered to the sobbing teen as he led Jay to the bed, arms around the shaking shoulders. Carlos had seen Jay cry only a few times throughout their life, so he knew just how taxing the entire situation had been. Jay settled himself down unto the bed, curling in a ball as Carlos merely lay down besides him & tried his best to calm him. “Let it go, Jay. I’m here. You can let go…” Jay clasped Carlos’ hands, bringing them to his face as he kept sobbing & crying all the while. Tears were streaming down Jay’s cheeks as he tried hardly to keep breathing through the sobs, his cries becoming audibly louder as they wore on. After nearly a dozen minutes, Jay fell silent as his sobs & cries reached their end & he fell asleep, exhausted by the mental breakdown he had just suffered. Carefully blanketing Jay & making sure he lay careful, Carlos left the room & Jay asleep as he went to the girls to discuss what had just happened. When he arrived, he was not surprised to find Ben & Chad present as well. Ever since Ben had come out as polyromantic, Chad had become adamant to get to know the four of them better as to please Ben & become as good a friend to them as he could be. Carlos couldn’t deny he liked that, as he saw no reason why Chad had ever needed to be so spiteful as he had been. They were busily chattering, Chad keeping more to himself as they spoke, before they noticed Carlos standing in the door.

“Hey, C. Is Jay okay?” Carlos shook his head as he sat down next to Evie, looking at Mal as he began speaking. “He broke down once we were alone. I saw it coming, but still… It took a while before he had let it out of his system. He’s asleep now, probably will be sleeping until at least curfew begins.” Mal gave a meek smile as Evie gave a comforting squeeze in Carlos’ shoulder as Ben began speaking to him. “It’s nothing more than normal, especially seeing how bad his relationship with Jafar was.” Carlos only shook his head at Ben before he replied. “There is no relationship between them, not anymore. Jay felt nothing for his father but just disgust & hatred. I told you how my mother treated me & I can tell you that Jafar only treated Jay marginally better. It’s just being that near to him for that long, that’s why he broke down. It’s like being confronted by your worst fear, your worst nightmare.” Ben kept silent as Chad glanced worriedly at the three of them. Obviously this was all new to him, so it was no surprise he didn’t know just how bad things ever were on the Isle. Carlos was only happy that Chad or Ben never had to experience any of that. Nobody deserved any of that…

“Was life on the Isle that bad?” Chad cautiously questioned at none of them in specific, earning a few frightful glances from Carlos, Evie & Mal. It took a while before any of them spoke up, when Mal spoke up. “You have to understand, Chad, that all those stories about the villains, about the enemies of your parents & friend’s parents… All those stories about wicked schemes, brutal violence, poisonous apples, cursed spindles, … To you it were just stories, to your parents they were bad memories, traumas even… But to us, they were a daily reality. True, there was no magic but if your parents are as cruel as the stories circulating about them, well… Let’s just say they don’t need magic to make life a living hell…” Chad swallowed thickly as Mal spoke, an earnest look of sympathy on his face as he glanced from one to the other. When Mal finished, he merely settles down behind Ben, Back to back, as he let out a deep sigh. “I- I never thought about it like that. All I ever thought about when anyone spoke of the Isle, was- was that their children would probably be just as evil as the parents. I- I only ever thought it was deserved, that it was just that you guys were also stuck there on the Isle, that you deserved it as well. It never crossed my mind that all any of you ever wanted was to be accepted or loved, not pushed to become worse than your parents. I can’t even imagine how I would react to that, can’t even start to really understand such a life. And here I was being a prick to every single one of you guys, like the spoiled child I am…” He took a stuttering breath as he tried to keep his emotions in check, a bit embarrassed at this show of genuine sympathy towards what would arguably be the children of the four worst villains ever to roam Auradon.

Ben turned, facing Chad as he wiped a tear from Chad’s cheek while Mal put her hand on his shoulder & gave a thankful squeeze. “Thanks, Chad. Apology accepted. It’s okay now, no? I mean, we’re here, alive & happy. Right now, that’s all that matters, even if there is still the problem of a bunch of villains being stuck in Agrabah & Seaside still being under attack…” Ben nodded at Mal before he gave Chad a kiss on the cheek & went back to sitting across Carlos, speaking now. “My grandfather came by yesterday, telling me of a device he had designed some time ago that is able to destroy magical artefacts. I don’t quite remember if I told every single on of you here, so I’ll repeat myself. It’s capable of siphoning thaumic energy from a thaumaturgical artefact, then dispersing it either raw or processed into the nearby environment, effectively neutralizing the threat of the artefact being treated. We don’t need it for Jafar anymore, but Ursula is still very much a problem, although I think that the law of hereditary possession might solve that problem as well as it did with Jafar’s lamp now belonging to Jay, even if it has disintegrated. However… There is a bigger problem still stuck on the Isle.” Ben turned to Mal & Evie as he continued. “I believe either of you know the Horned King?” Mal nodded as Evie shuddered in disgust, goosebumps travelling down her spine at the mention of the word. “Brrr… Don’t say the name! He was such a vile little man. Whenever he looked at me, it was like I was just a background object, like I wasn’t worth even the recognition of being alive.” Mal nodded at Evie’s words as she interjected. “True. He was acquainted with my mother, when she tried to use potions in the beginning of her isolation. He fixed her up with the best cauldron he could find, asked quite a heft price for it too, which my mother didn’t like as she often reminded me. I saw him just twice, maybe, but Evie’s words say everything. He always looked at people like they were just passing décor, something not worthy remembering about. He just felt wrong…”

“Well, he’s taken over your mother’s old castle, the Forbidden Fortress, having reconnected it with the main-bulk of the Isle of the Lost. We weren’t sure what he had been planning, but an hour ago he made his move. Seems he has created an army of golems, to try & take over the entire Isle & part of the mainland before initiating his full attack.” Mal paused Ben with a wave of her hand as she began paging through her Spellbook, quickly stopping at the page she had been searching for. “Golem, a figure artificially constructed in the form of a human being and endowed with life via machinery, white magic, black magic or a magical artefact as power source. Golems are neigh indestructible, unable to be fazed by electricity, cold, heat or general low- to medium-velocity impacts. Their body is often made of ceramics or baked clay, more often hollow than solid.” Ben nodded as Mal stopped reciting the page, as he began speaking again. “Yes, that’s the ones. We had only a small squadron of just about twenty men in total stationed just outside the Red Queen’s castle when the golems emerged from the surrounding forest. They managed only just to damage a single one by combined firearms & were unable to make it advance until something very… unexpected happened. It seems that the Red Queen has made a deal with Dr. Facilier’s old Friends.” Mal jumped up in surprise, causing Chad to flinch behind Ben’s back. “What?! That can’t be true, can it? I thought Facilier was on our side?” Ben nodded sternly as Mal sat back down. “True, he was on our side but it seems she pressured him into it. I have already received word from Mama Odie, in the Bayou D’Orleans, that she senses the deal. It seems that the Queens request involved some rather nasty spirits that should’ve been locked away from at least another ten orzo millennia. From eye-witness accounts gathered on the spot, as I sent seventeen squadrons to guard the bridge when word reached me, she has become something rather unique, more doll than human it seems.” 

“She took out the first wave of golems in a single minute, by possessing them.” Mal eyed ben in surprise as she began interrupting him. “But- That’s impossible! Normally a golem is animated by a Word of Power inscribed within them in a thaumic font! To override such influence, such old magic, you need something almost cosmic, nearly universally primal! How did she do it?” Ben began as he ushered Mal to remain calm & let him speak, not to interrupt him anymore until he was done. “She seems to have become host to certain spirits, spirits that she can let enter & leave her body at will. These spirits can leave her, invade a golem, rewrite its thaumic directive & control them completely. The only outward change is a change in colour of their internal fire.” Mal frowned, as she huddled into herself pondering, thinking deeply about everything she read over the past months concerning magic. “Nearly primal, locked for millennia… The only thing I know of that even begins to fit that description are the Titans from Greek mythology, but something tells me that titans would be a better foe in this case. If even Mama Odie is that scared by the deal, they must be some mighty scary & powerful spirits.” Ben nodded in agreement as he continued after Mal. “We will be able to ask Mama Odie everything about it in a few hours, when she arrives here. She set out towards Auradon Prep, anxious to meet me as I’m now in charge for the security of Central Auradon while my parents take care of the rest of Auradon.” Evie interjected, putting her hand up to ask permission before she spoke up. “How’s she coming? With the car, plane, boat?” Ben laughed as he answered her. “Apparently she is coming per flying boat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm confirming a hint from the previous chapters here; Yes, Jafar did sell Jay's body when Jay was just a kid. Jafar is cruel, lacks empathy & only cares for his own enrichment. Selling the body of his son merely to earn some money or for exchanges would be something he'd do. After all, what would stop a nearly-pedophile & psychopath from selling his own offspring?
> 
> Chad is finally learning the intitmate history & past of the Rotten Four, feeling bad for his own behaviour towards them as his own preconceptions from old are shattered by the all-too-painful truth.


	26. Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seaside is being fought over, as Ursula confront Ariel's children. Who shall win?

Ursula stared down the twins before her, slowly losing the remaining patience she had left. They were slowly getting on her nerves, thinking they could talk to her so freely without respect. And yet they kept talking, standing between her & Ariel. She was about to remove them from her path when a high-pitched whine rumbled over the island. Momentarily distracted by what she recognized as the distress of her pets, Ursula turned to the window to see how Flotsam was being torn to shreds by the Kraken, which should be impossible. “No! My pretty!” She screamed as she saw Flotsam’s head being detached from its body. She turned cold, felt white-hot anger grip her heart as she turned the Trident outwards, aiming at the beast now battling with Jetsam. About to shoot it down, to make its body explode to shreds, Aria suddenly stood besides her, gripping the Trident. Puzzled by the mere fact that the girl could even hold the artefact without being pulverized by the raw energy coursing through it. And now she had the audacity to try & pull the artefact from her grip! “You insolent child! Lay off your hands from this!” She slapped the child straight in the face, but she held on, hands gripping tighter about the staff. Ursula tried to push the child off, as she glanced that the other half of the twins, the brother, was merely keeping by Ariel’s side. The moment of distraction however paid her dearly, as Aria used one of the bristles on her arm to gauge out her eye. Cursing & clutching at her bleeding face, Ursula slackened her grip & Aria tugged harder, the Trident slowly slipping from Ursula’s grasp until…

A burst of light flooded the room, Ron looking away & shutting his eyes as he threw his body protectively over Ariel. A few seconds later, the light died down & Ron looked behind him, to see Ursula & Aria thrown against the walls with the Trident floating above the floor in splendid radiance. Slowly leaving Ariel’s side, careful to keep an eye on Ursula’s still form on the ground, Ron approached the Trident, reaching out towards the magical artefact. It sparked, seemingly reacting to his presence as it slowly began descending to the floor. Finally grasping the artefact fully, Ron slowly took it up as he felt a radiant warmth spread through his body. As he felt the energy of the artefact surge into Ron, Ursula began to stir again, slowly waking up from her stooper as she righted herself again. She took a moment to realize what was happening before she scowled, growling at the boy grasping the Trident before her. She jumped at him, only to be thrown back by a sudden outburst of energy released by the Trident in Ron’s defence. Ron yelped in surprise as the energy burst out from his free hand into Ursula, knocking her back into the wall. He felt the energy burn through his veins & exit his body through the fingertips. This was altogether new indeed, as Ron got used to the burning of his blood, as raw magic surged through it. It felt like being burned from within, like feeling too hot on a summer’s night. He looked at his fingers, saw the pulsing glow of the magic slowly die down in the visible veins. He looked at Aria again, rushing to her side & slowly setting her upright as she began to wake. 

“Aria, are you okay? How do you feel?” Aria groaned, as she slowly came by, her eyes opening groggily. She blinked a few times as she looked up at Ron, then her gaze shifting to the unconscious form of Ursula in the background. Another low rumbling whine rolled over the island, as the Kraken tore apart the remaining pet of Ursula’s. Ron looked from the window as he heard the noise, just seeing the shredded remains of the creature falling into the ocean & sinking below the waves. He pondered, worried that it couldn’t be this easy. No big fight could ever be over this easy or quickly. “Aria, just what spell did you use exactly?” Aria groaned as she struggled to get up, leaning against the wall for support as she kept glancing about the room in confusion, unsure what has just all happened in less than five minutes. “I don’t remember exactly. Just some protection spell. Didn’t know it was that powerful. How’s mother?” Ron looked up at Ariel, who lay as still as before. “She’s fine. Nothing changed.” Aria sighed as she sat back down, letting her mind slowly clear. “What are we gonna do about Ursula? And what about that beats that killed her pets?” Ron glanced at the coast through the window as he answered. “Somehow the Trident allows me to see further & from what I’m seeing, the Kraken won’t be a problem. Seems he listens to our baby brother.” Aria looked up in confusion at these words as she processed them. “Harper? Really? Well then, good for him I guess. But he’s nothing bringing it in the house.” She chuckled meekly as she clutched her head, groaning in pain.

Ron laughed as he made his way back to Ariel’s side, looking over her. He knew something was very wrong with his mother, could somehow feel it reverberate through the Trident as it seemed to recognize her, blood of its rightful bloodline. Slowly raising the Trident & letting it hover above his mother, he felt the artefact acknowledge her, examining her. It seemed to recognize her completely, feeling where something was going wrong. And Ron could feel it through the Trident, could sense a spark of darkness far down within her. “Aria, could you come here, please? I think I found what is wrong with Mother.” Aria staggered upright, her legs still wobbling beneath her as she stumbled towards Ron & Ariel. “Hold your hand on the Trident. I think you should be able to feel through it like I can. Come on.” Slowly grasping the staff, Aria felt a surge of energy coursing through her, dispelling the drowsiness & headache. Her head finally clear again, Aria could begin to feel her own senses flow through the Trident. Sensing the dark spark, she let out a small gasp as the cold of the curse crept through the connection into her. She forced it back, trying to keep it in place where it sat as Ron looked at her. “It’s clever, isn’t it? It tries to crawl into you, out of her, when it senses another person around. Do you think you can dispel it?” Aria shook her hand, unsure if she could. “She should remain stable as long as the protection spell is active upon the island. I think that’s the only reason Mother has lasted as long as she’s doing. I do know a simple healing spell. Perhaps we can augment it with the power of the Trident?”

“It’s word a shot, I guess. I mean, what else can we do?” Ron replies as Aria steadies her thoughts & prepares the spell, quickly drawing a sigil on the ground about them. “One catch however. This particular spell is more on the dark side, as it requires blood from family.” Ron winces at the comment as he scowls. “Why? Why the hell needs a healing spell blood?” Aria shrugs her shoulders as she explains, taking out a knife. “It needs a genetic blueprint to recognize damage that is foreign, unnatural, to restore it. The more different types of blood, the more potent it is as it then has more cross-references. No getting out of this one, Ron. Hold out your hand.” Ron holds out his hand, guided to hold it above Ariel’s chest by Aria. Placing the knife’s point on his finger & making a long cut along the tip, Ron winces as he watches a drop of blood well up & fall down unto Ariel’s chest. Aria then pricked her own finger, her drop of blood mixing with Ron’s on their mother’s chest. Then, just as Aria begins the incantation a strong wave of magic floods the entire castle, making it tremble. Aria continues the spell, knowing full well the dangers of unfinished spells. She is vaguely aware that the shaking of the castle is different from before, as if everything is tremble from top to bottom instead of vice versa. She’s only just aware of Ron’s muttering that “The castle is being remade!”, but she focuses on getting the spell right. It isn’t complicated, but nonetheless…

She just about finishes chanting the last syllables when the rogue magic from outside floods the chamber. Aria prepares for the worst as she senses the two types of magic mingling. Every book she ever read said that such interactions have to be extremely controlled to be beneficial & she’s mentally preparing to push Ron away for the inevitable rebound. But it doesn’t come as expected. Instead, the magics flow together as if puzzle pieces as the healing spell reaches its full effect, the sigil beneath their feet glowing in a radiant & red pulsing light. Ariel sighs as a dark cloud exits her mouth & nostrils, accumulating above her as it writhes & wriggles in despair, trying to get back in. Then, as sudden as it all began, the black cloud is snuffed out in a bright flash. Ariel’s breathing deepens as her chest begins heaving at normal pace again, stronger than before. Behind them, a groan is heard as Aria suddenly remembers Ursula. As she turns, prepared to stun Ursula with the Trident she & Ron are still clutching, she is shocked at what se sees before them. Instead of an octopod elderly witch, they are faced with an almost perfectly human child, a girl of just about five years old. The child gets up groggily, blinking rapidly as it tries to straighten itself. Aria can see now that she retained several things from her old form, as her skin is still a slight blue & her hair is as grey as it was before. If Aria didn’t know that this child had been her family’s personal arch-nemesis mere minutes before, she would’ve called it a beautiful sweet-looking kid.

She looks at Ron, who looks just as puzzled as she is, before returning her gaze down on the extremely confused looking child before them. Suddenly Aria realizes that the kid obviously doesn’t remember anything. “Are you okay?” She can’t stop herself from asking the question as the puzzle pieces slowly slide into place in her mind. The girl looks at her in bewilderment & fear as she shakes her head. “Do you remember anything?” The girl looks at her a few seconds, eyes glancing from her to Ron & back to her before she speaks. “Nothing. Only my name. Who are you?” Aria smiles, slowly becoming convinced that this is a better thing than she had thought. “My name is Aria & this is my brother Ron. We’re merpeople. Well, witches actually. And what’s your name?” Ron nudges Aria, hissing through his teeth. “Aria, what are you doing?” Aria turns to her brother as she lets go of the Trident, leaving Ron in control of it. “She can’t remember anything & has been turned into a human child. This is redemption, Ron, something she desperately needs. Think about it. What’s better than locking people up, Ron? Rehabilitating is. Look at the four kids Auradon took in. I think this is an effect of that rogue magic & the protection spell I used before. She’s being given a second chance, a chance to become good.” Ron looks hesitantly at her & at the girl before them, who has seated herself on the ground with knees drawn to her chest.

“My name is Ursu.” She speaks softly at Aria as she avoids Ron’s look. Aria shuffles closer to the child, who recoils in fear. “Oh, does my appearance scare you, Ursu?” The child nods, as she backs away against the wall. “Oh, don’t be afraid. Look, don’t you think my scales are pretty?” She holds out one of her fins to the child’s touch, letting Ursu’s eyes wander over the iridescent coral-coloured scales. “It is pretty. But it still looks scary.” Aria smiles as she sets herself on the floor, slowly scuttling closer. “But so do dogs. And horses. But they’re not scary. They’re beautiful when you don’t fear them.” She extends her fin once more, Ursu slowly stretching out a hand to touch the surface of the fin. The little fingers glide over the scales & draw a giggle from Aria, who chuckles at Ron’s expression. “That tickles. Do you like tickles, Ursu?” The child grins, as she lifts her fingers from the fin & moves closer to Aria. “I do! I love tickling people!” Aria smiles broadly before she lunches at the child & begins tickling her on the sides. “Yeah, well… Tickle fight!” Ursu screams out in childish delight as she tries to tickle Aria in return. Ron looks at the scene in astonishment, as he leans on the Trident. “My sister & my mother’s sworn enemy in a tickle fight… Can this day get any stranger?” A moan disturbs his thought as he turns about, seeing his mother wake in her bed, colour fully back in her cheeks as she blinks her eyes. “Ron? Sweetie, what happened?”

“It’s okay, mother. You got a bit sick, but you’re better now.” Ariel offers a weak smile before she notices the Trident in his hand, her brow creasing as she asks where he got it. “Well… Do you want the short version or the long version?” Ron says jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood, but Ariel merely looks sternly at him. “O-Okay, short version it is.” He breathes in deeply, recounting the past hours quickly before he hastily starts rambling. “We were all changed in merpeople/witches, you got sick, Ursula attacked, island trembled, Harper tamed the Kraken, killed Flotsam & Jetsam who were gargantuan, Ursula invaded the castle, tried to kill you & us, got distracted, wrestled Aria for possession over the Trident, got both knocked out, I took it, Ursula was unconscious, woke Aria, healed you with a spall, some rogue magic hit the island, healed you, changed Ursula in a child, after which Aria began a tickle-fight with her & then you woke up.” He finishes, breathing out deeply as he tries to refresh the air in his lungs, while Ariel just watches him like he just tried to convince her that rocks really are tasty, you know? She is about to ask him what really happened when a childish shriek of laughter resounds & makes her sit upright in bed, getting just high enough to see Aria rolling around with a child in a tickle to the death. “Oohkay… Ron, I think I need to lie down. Can you please make sure that Aria doesn’t get killed? I need time to process this…” She blinks her eyes a few times as she tries to process just what she had seen & heard. Her whole body aches & she feels exhausted. She can’t think straight about any of this right now…

By the time guards arrive in the room, when the screaming & panic outside has finally died down, Ariel was back fast asleep. Eric arrived not much later after the first guards, immediately rushing to her side. He didn’t respond to her changed condition, obviously already in the know by what others had told him. The guards however had been more surprised & until Ron had proven they were actually the twins, they had been eyeing the pair suspiciously. Ursu was ignored by seemingly everyone, until Eric’s eye caught her. “And who might this young woman be then?” He spoke in a warm voice, something he always did when talking to children. Aria cleared her voice as Ron urged his father to keep his calm. “This is Ursu.” Eric’s smile drops immediately, a frown creasing his brown as he rights himself & looks at Aria as if she has just told him the most untactful joke ever. “Please tell me, Aria, that this child is not the arch-enemy of our family.” Aria avoids her father’s gaze as she replies. “She kinda is, but she doesn’t remember anything & has no powers anymore. We checked & the Trident says she’s technically & biologically fully human. Well, except the odd colour-scheme but hey, who’s perfect?” She giggles nervously, as she tries to make the situation a little bit less awkward & potentially explosive. Eric takes a long look as the child & just stares at the twins for a while, who still share the Trident between them. Finally he gives in & turns back to Ariel. “Fine. But she’ll be under your care, your protection. Anything happens & it’s on your heads, since you’re both responsible for this.” He bends over Ariel, sits down besides her & starts speaking to her as she slowly wakes up. Aria glances nervously at Ron as she merely takes a hold of Ursu’s outstretched hand.

Harper was sunning, basking in the strong afternoon heat when the first naval ship approached the Kraken. The poor creature had taken quite a beating in its fight with those two monster eels, but it had protected him & his home quite admirable. It would take a while before the red would dissipate from the waters surrounding them but for now, the scene was as calm as could be. The Kraken was singing softly beneath the water, its sirenous whaling only just audible above the waterline. But Harper could feel the massive body hum beneath him, filling him with the beautiful symphony as he lay there. From the approaching ship, a few guards were calling down unto him, asking if everything was okay. Harper just waved & smiled, as the ship passed. Obviously they were content with this as they kept their distance, circling the Kraken from a safe distance. Harper knew he would have to return to the mainland eventually, but for now he was just content with soaking up the warm sunlight. He vaguely wondered what happened with that dreadful woman, but seeing how people had returned back to the docks after the gargantuan bodies had sunk beneath the waves, he wagered she was defeated as well. When the fight had just ended, Harper had been worried the Kraken was too wounded but that strange magical aura that had suddenly leapt up from nowhere had also healed the Kraken’s worst wounds.

When all was said & done, nobody really understood what had happened. Why the Trident hadn’t fought against Ron & Aria’s touch like it had done previously when anyone other than its rightful owner touched it. Or why suddenly three of the four royal children present in the capital had changed into either merpeople or witches. Why Ariel had fallen ill so suddenly or where King Triton was, if he was still alive. The entire palace buzzed with excitement, as many people watched from the balconies to see the storm that Ursula had brewed & had settled above Seaside, was slowly dissipating & breaking up, freeing the horizon for the first time in almost a whole day. Surveys showed that much of the coastal defences had been damaged in Ursula’s attempt to isolate the state, resulting in many broken coastal walls, breached dykes & levees, smashed piers, … Repairs would take several years, as engineers began reporting in the damages surveyed from all across the coast. Naval ships were gathering around the canal’s seaside entrance to drag the lifeless corpses of Flotsam & Jetsam into open waters where they would be left to decay & rot away. Already enormous flocks of gulls & scavenger fish had gathered about the massive bodies. And then there was the matter of a sudden addition to the royal family.

Aria, Ron & Ursu had been brought to the royal bathing-quarters, after they had been checked by the royal physician. Physically, they were all fine, but Ron had instantly noted how his sister had become very different indeed. All her sullen & wary facades, her avoiding of people & constant sarcastic replies, had all been shaken off in favour of open talk & conversation with the small child she had taken a hold of. Ursu behaved childish enough, seemingly only concerned with play & laughter. Even the Trident, even though she had been scared & intimated by the sight of an enormous weapon being held above her, hadn’t show anything even remotely reminiscent of the old Ursula. He was becoming inclined to believe that this was indeed an act of redemption, possibly an effect of the magical rebound that had obviously happened in the chamber where the entire confrontation had happened. Aria was constantly talking & playing with the child & even thought it was endearing to see his sister finally being open with anyone but himself, he was mildly worried by her very sudden change in personality. Although it wasn’t a change in personality as much as it was simply a change in how she expressed her personality. She had always been good company, if she felt like being it. That’s how Aria was after all, impulsive & sudden. One moment she could laugh with you like anyone, the next she would be the most serious person you’d ever meet. It was nice & weird to finally see a change of pace concerning this, Ron reminisced as they bathed separately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Ursula has become an innocent human child as effect of the rebound caused by the rogue magic created by Jay's wish to repair all damages done by villains throughout Auradon.


	27. Paratus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paratus, lit. meaning "prepare, become prepared", often used in Latin or as a command for army-units to prepare for battle. Preparation before a battle, the last chance to focus all the facts together into an understandable whole, through which a strategy can be decided & prepared before the actual attack begins.

Off all the things that the Rotten Four, or any of the student of Auradon prep for that matter, would ever see, a flying boat stuck in an enormous mangrove-tree was definitely not on any of their lists. The entire structure, with roots & all, was slowly advancing towards the school over the forest canopy from the east. Surrounded by a flock of birds, of all sizes & colours, light scattered by the countless glass bottles in the canopy of the tree, the whole had a mesmerizing & phantasmal look about. Softly glowing from the fairy dust about it, it became increasingly obvious as the sun was slowly beginning to set in the west, the last rays caught & refracted in the bottles, the reflected rays in all manner of colours illuminating the area about it. Almost all students that had stayed in the school were gathered about on the rooftop, watching the tree-boat slowly make its way & all hurried away from the edge when it was finally approaching the school. Mama Odie appeared at the helm of the boat, yelling & hollering at the birds who picked up a myriad of ropes & attached them about the many poles & chimney pots on the rooftop. The tree-boat slowly halted, softly anchoring at the edge as a plank was shoved out of it & down upon the roof. Softly wandering into to view & walking over the rickety piece of wood, Mama Odie was greeted by Fairy Godmother, Ben & Mal as she stepped unto the roof.

“Welcome to Auradon Prep, miss Odie.” Ben greeted as he took a hold of her outstretched hand. Her small stature made Ben look absolutely enormous, as she barely reached to his chest with her head. “Nonsense, boy, I ain’t no misses. I’m a mama, yessiree. Now give me some sugar.” She gestured him to bend, giving Ben a wet kiss on the cheek as she did the same with Mal just afterwards. Both standing back up straight & wiping their cheeks, Mama Odie promptly began speaking again, directed at nobody in particular. “Now, y’all might know we got a pickle. And it ain’t a good one. Ma dumb son made a dum’ deal, with the wrong kind of spirits ‘n’all. But I wish that we’e all the problems, now ain’t it. You gots yerselfs a damned king on yer hands as well. So,” she pointed a finger at Ben & Mal, “what’s ya gonna do ‘bout it?” Ben mouthed a few times, not quite sure what to say before Mal interjected. “Well, we’ve already got the naval ships stationed about the Isle. So nothing’s gonna get off it soon. We got word an hour ago that Ursula has been defeated as well, so we were planning to use Triton’s Trident to defeat him, together with several other magical artefacts, like Fairy Godmother’s Wand & Excalibur.” Mama Odie smiled as she listened to Mal speak, only talking again once she finished. “So, yer got that magic’l sword then, do ya? Where did ya find it, gurl?” Mal glanced at Ben, who nodded in approval. “Well, we kinda stole it. Well, steal would be a harsh description, seeing how we found it & just took it-” Odie chuckled, interrupting the purple-haired girl. “Y’all we’e able to take it, so ya deserved it, dear. No sense beatin’round da bush. No way yer coulda got it if ya weren’t worthy.”

Mama Odie turned to Carlos & Jay, who were standing with Evie a few metres behind Ben & Mal. “You boys are strong, ain’t ya? You got dat spunk of da wild, Carlos. What’s inside ya is makin’ ya more th’n just human, ya know. It makes yer stronger an’ being bound to tall broody next to ya, well… Yer two don’t need help from any, no how.” As she turned to Evie, whose mother stood just behind her, Mama Odie frowned a waved her hand about Grimhilde. “Ya’re a rotten un’, girl, but what ain’t rot, can’t get reborn, ya know? And ya got a nice sprout a’ready in ya. And ya daughter,” she said as she waved her hand to Evie, “she’s got a good heart, indeed. She’s gonna make ya grow just right, heed me words, gurl.” Grimhilde blinked a few times before she puffed her chest & replied. “Girl? I’m not a girl, you old bat. But you’re right. My Evie is just perfect, better than I ever could’ve made her.” Grimhilde smiled meekly at Evie, who had taken her hand & was squeezing it tightly. “Yer Evie then, ah? Ya know, the wind told me ya were bright. But it ain’t told me just how bright. But be carefull, dear, bright flames burn out quickly, okay? Ne’er shine too brightly for anyun’ if they ain’t gonna enkindle ya afterwards.” 

She turned back to Ben & Mal, who had watched her interactions with the others in curious puzzlement. “Where’s ya lover, boy? Yer afraid of havin’ im here?” Ben flushed red as she began to speak of Chad, who had refrained from standing near him. Hearing her call him out via Ben, Chad could only silently curse as he saw Ben look at him & nod. Slowly walking through the crowd of students, their eyes lingering on him in a mix of shock, disbelief & curiosity, he went over to stand besides Ben & Mal. Mama Odie looked him over a few times before she began speaking, as Ben took Chad’s hand in his own. “Y’all three are a strange un’, ain’t ya? Ya, gurl, ain’t wanna have none of ‘im,” she spoke to Mal as she waved at Chad, “yet yer wanna tolerate ‘im if it means havin’ yer man bein’ happy, ain’t it?” She waved at Ben now, as a curious mumbling slowly rose out of the crowd behind them. “Tis admir’ble tho, ain’t it? Willin’ to ‘ave a foe ‘round ya to make yer man happy. Yer a strong un’, Mal, that’s fo’ sure. As for ya,” she turned to Chad as she gave Mal a small pat on the shoulder, “Yer also more ‘n willin’ to get to know her & apol’gize to ‘er friends if ‘t means Ben being happy. Yer no longer the man ya were just six months ago, are ye, Chad Charming?” Chad merely nodded as she grinned, seemingly eyeing Ben & Mal as she spoke, tho Chad couldn’t be sure with her blinded spectacles. “Yer know, I cann her y’all mumbling be’ind me.” She turned to the crowd behind the threesome. “Y’all think tis funny? Y’all find tis a joke? Y’all forget love’s everything, young un’s! Y’all can call yerselves lucky if ya ever find even a single lover, ya know? To find two of ‘em & have’m coop’rate like this, it ain’t simple, it ain’t. So y’all can better stop yapping yer babblemouths & just be happy for yer king.” The mumbling quickly quieted down as she spoke, leaving a palpable silence in its wake.

Mama Odie turned back to her ship, back turned to it as she spoke once more to the assembly before her. “Now, y’all listen & ya listen well. I ain’t plannin’ to defens’less, seein’ how I’m ‘bout to go to da Isle of da lost. Who’s gonna help me & what’s ya gonna bring to help save ma son & kick dat king’s butt?” She grinned as she finished her speech, waiting for anyone to speak up. Fairy Godmother was already by Mama Odie’s side, having declared before Odie’s arrival that if any students wished to join, she’d be there to protect them in the fight, wand & all. A rushed mumbling rose from the crowd again, as Ben, Mal, Evie, Grimhilde, Chad, Carlos & Jay began walking over to her. Committed to help in any way possible & stop the Horned King, they walked the plank & gathered on the deck of Odie’s tree-boat. Sending Doug a text to bring the items they would use, Ben also send a text to his grandfather to mobilize the weapon he had designed. There were not many ways to destroy the Black Cauldron, not for eternity anyway, so if anything went wrong, if it all turned sour, it would be better to destroy the Isle instead of allowing the King to keep using it & destroy everything in his wake. Doug instantly replied a simple yes, showing up with a few suitcases, carried by several of his cousins, which they all hurriedly brought on board. Mama Odie was still standing on the rooftop, as a few students slowly tore away from the crowd & talked to her. Ben was not surprised to see Jordan among them, the daughter of the Genie was quite brave after all. Lonnie & Jane too were waiting in line, both would no doubt be a good complement to their group. Lonnie’s knowledge of martial arts, already shared with Carlos & Jay through several lessons over the past months, could be useful in almost any situation. And Jane’s newfound control over simple magic could always help them in a pinch, Ben was sure.

In the end, only Lonnie, Jane & Jordan boarded the ship, joining the group already on it. It both saddened & gladdened Ben, as he knew only a few more lives were in danger rather than many. Mama Odie seemed to expect no one to change their minds at the last moment, as she quickly let the ropes break lose & bear the tree-boat aloft once more. The wind, so curiously absent the past hour since she had moored the school, now reaffirmed itself again & quickly picked up, pushing the flying structure southwards, towards the coast & ultimately the Isle of the Lost. The journey was quite pleasant & it almost made several of the group forget they were sailing off towards certain danger & possible doom. Jay & Carlos had nestled themselves somewhere in the canopy above the boat, looking out over the vast forest below them. They felt calm, intertwined in each other’s arms as they relaxed for the danger to come. Ben & Mal stood at the bow, looking towards the horizon where the coast was already visible & the pinprick, which was the Isle, slowly came into view, growing larger with each passing minute. The last rays of the sun were slowly creeping over the canopy far below, as night began descending & covering everything in the familiar warm Auradonean gloom of twilight. It would be insane to fight at night, so they’d wait for day to arrive before any move would be made. Everyone knew this & father-king Adam would wait for a single united attack. As they approached closer & closer, the large clouds over the Isle became apparent, as did the enormous pillar of green fire erupting from the castle into the clouds & back down upon the ground before the castle’s bridges. Mal didn’t like the look of it at all, seeing her mother’s fortress being used like this. It made the dragon in her stir angrily.

Ever since her fight with her mother at the Coronation, Mal had felt something new grow inside of her & it had taken her until a few weeks ago to realize it felt awfully familiar to how Carlos described his inner-wolf acting. Considering how her mother was a dark fairy of origin & how magical transformation is an innate magical ability in them, it didn’t surprise Mal when Fairy Godmother had finally managed to explain just what it was to her. According to several magical books & scholars, dark fairies have a creature assigned to them at birth, which is their totem & second form, becoming apparent when they transform for the first time. Seeing how her mother’s apparent totem was a dragon, it wouldn’t surprise Mal if hers was the same. After all, Fairy Godmother had said, totems tend to be a hereditary thing, being the same between parent & child, although not always – which explained why the number of totems among dark fairies was as varied as real-life species. It had send Mal pondering, whether this was something unique to dark fairies or if light fairies had a similar gift. She hadn’t had the time to research it, but if lycanthropy could exist in humans as a curse, it could also potentially exist in other species as an innate ability or gift, like in dark fairies. If she survived this, if they all survived this, she was certain to figure this minor mystery out & research about it as best she could. She had kept this information silent to everyone but Evie, after all they had been through. She glanced up through the canopy above, sensing Jay & Carlos high above in it. Looking about her, she was glad to see that everyone was calm & relaxed for the moment. It could all change soon enough.

The tree-boat soon reached the edge of the Auradonean southern coast, as the Isle was now clearly visible at a mere mile distance away. The clouds were threateningly huge now, almost stretching to the coast & covering the entire region of water in a starless dark. At every angle, almost five dozen ships were anchored at different distances away from the Isle. Most bore the Auradonean flag, but a few Seaside ships were also present. To everyone’s surprise, the Jolly Roger was present as well, moored besides the bridge that Ursula has created. Mama Odie finally exited her deck as she made her way to the prow, watching with blind eyes over the scene before her. “I gotta hand it to ol’ Hook, he got a lot a gut to be ‘ere. Prob’bly cuz of Smee he’s here, dat ol’ git.” She turned to Fairy Godmother who had left Jane’s side to inspect the scene along with Odie. “Fae, can ya sense anythin’ strange?” Odie looked at Fairy Godmother with a cocked brow, a tinge of worry just audible in her croaking voice. Fairy Godmother was looking about the sea, scanning every ship & the Isle before she spoke. “There’s nobody on the Isle, except near the column which blocks the entrance to the Forbidden Fortress. But it feels off, strange.” Odie smiled a knowing grin as she turned to face the Isle again. “That’s right, Fae. There’s just one person on dat Isle an’ it ain’t a person at all.” Mama Odie turned back to her deck, gesturing to Mal, Ben, Jane & Fairy Godmother to follow her. They all entered the cabin, more spacious than they had expected & surprised to see Odie wander over to an old cooking pot tucked away in the corner. Odie mumbled something above it, knocking the sides with an old bat she held as the group approached closer.

Looking at the surface of the boiling stew in the pot, they were all mildly surprised when it began showing a scene like a mirror. “In da old days, before humans ‘ere wanderin’ about, they were bad things, ancient things. They we’e simple-minded, eas’ly pleased an’ quickly angr’d. They were mo’ element th’n thing an’ couldn’t reall’ die.” Mama Odie began speaking as the pot showed a scene of the earth being churned & blasted, rocks being flung about by monster storms & monsterous waves crashing down unto broken beaches & islands. “They’s be known as Titan back when, when gods start’d poppin’ up ‘ere an’ there. Tis these gods that fight ‘m an’ ultimat’ly defeated ‘m. They’s got thrown into hell or as close to hell as can be. They we’e ne’er intended to be free again, slowly rottin’ away till they was just shades of them form’r selv’s. Now they’s just spirits, but dark an’ broody sort of. They’s intent on revenge, but not on da gods. No, they’s intent on takin’ revenge on those dat ain’t have paid their deals.” The scenes shimmered, showing a dark figure summoning something evil from a circle. “Thru da ages, many people thought they was smart an’ could make deals with da spirits of old. Naw, most spirits is the simple kind, comin’ from rever’d trees an’ streams an’ such. But sometimes, there’s idiots who think they need da be strong’r than they already is. An’ they summon ancient spirits, dark spirits. People like ma son, who y’all know.” The pot’s surface shimmered, showing Facilier making a deal with King Naveen many years before. “They’s the sort a people who needa make deals with others to gain lever’ge, have an advant’ge to the spirits an’ keep m appeased like. Hence their backstabbin’ deals.”

“Now, sometimes, bu’ no often, there’s someone who thinks they need to kill a god to be powaful an’ mighty. They’s da sort to summ’n da titans shades, makin’ enormous deals for great prices. This is da kind which da horned king belong to. He made a deal looong ‘go with da titans, gettin’ da power of da cauldron which the Fates made to prevent a similar person from destroying da world. Y’all know this, don’t ya, so ya know how they ad bound a dark soul to da cauldron, to keep it from causin’ mischief an’ chaos. But they aden’t calcul’ted that it wou’d make da cauldron a weapon.” The pot stirred again, the scene showing the Cauldron with corpses slowly crawling out of it. “Da spirit was till ‘live an’ kickin’, usin’ da power of his own deal to resur’ct da dead an’ make em do ‘is biddin’. An’ da horned king gained power over this, makin’ da cauldron obliged to obey ‘im. Cuz da cauldron needs someun’ da protect it, keep it alive an’ kickin. Cuz otherwise it got freed an’ da spirits can claim it, drag it with ‘m down inta hell an’ all. That’s why da cauldron can’t destroyed with normal things, yessiree. It’s gotta be undone, by first destroying its master an’ than unbindin’ da spirit from it. Then it’ll get taken by da titans an’ destroy itself, it will. But there be a catch, there is. If da spirit becomes unbound, da raw energy of da cauldron ‘as to go, ‘as to disperse. An’ it’ll disperse not queitlike.”

Every one took a deep breath, as they had been holding it during Odie’s talk. What she said was obvious enough, as she finished. Once the Dark Cauldron becomes undone, unbound, it would destroy itself in an explosion of raw magical energy. “An’ there’s another catch, I’m afeared. There’s only two ways to undo da bindin’. Either ya wish it undone, which we can’t since we ain’t got a lamp,” she nodded gravely as she spoke, “or ya offer up a willin’ innacent life, which we can.” Fairy Godmother huffed, loudly exclaiming as Odie uttered the words. “No! We will not offer up anyone! Especially not any of my students. There has to be another way!” Mama Odie shook her head as she let Fairy Godmother interrupt her, leaning on her bat as she waited before speaking up. “We ain’t got another way, Fea, dear. It ain’t like ya can find a lamp just anywhere, it ain’t. We gotta sacrifice someun’, dear, or da horned king wins.” Fairy Godmother looked furious, stamping her foot down as she almost yelled. “If we sacrifice anyone, he wins regardless. We can not stoop to his level, can’t just begin seeing lives as expendable, worth sacrificing for the greater good.” Mal sighed as she knew that Fairy Godmother was being so adamant on this solely because Jan had come along. Secretly Mal thought that she’d be fine with it had Jane not been here, but no way to find that out for sure anyway, not now. But still, she felt as sick at the idea of having to sacrifice someone, anyone, to destroy the Black Cauldron & defeat the Horned King for once & for all…

Hook still wasn’t sure why he had let Smee convince him to take a stand & be good for once. Probably it had been the fact that his First Mate had been crying, eyes red with tears, yet furious with him for being a coward & keeping everything inside, not talking with anyone. Their fight had been quite momentous, the entire crew shaking in fear by the time it had ended & they both had emerged from the Captain’s Cabin. Smee had forced himself inside, making Hook jump from his bed in surprise & anger at the intrusion. But then he had also had to audacity to slap Hook & began ranting in his face, yelling how Hook better pull his head of his ass, stop being a coward & face his problems head on like he had done in his prime-days. Hook had first felt anger at this blatant disrespect, shock at the insult that he was a coward, then embarrassment at the realization that it was true to an extend. The years of exile on the Isle had certainly dulled his senses, made him more complacent & willing to buckle under pressure. Even now, being conflicted with his own feelings, he had chosen the coward’s way out by not confronting them straight on & rather keeping them in, ignoring they were a problem at all, even if it meant he was isolating him from the very source of the feelings. Smee, shaking in anger & fear, had still been ranting, recounting every single time in the past years when Hook had retreated from confrontation rather than face it head-on. Hook had merely stared, shocked to see the First Mate recount such odd trivels so easily & in such detail. And then Hook had done the most stupid thing ever, in his entire life. Even more dumb & impulsive than when he had fought Pan, lost his hand & gained a crocodile as nightmare.

Hook had slapped Smee, then had forcibly taken the man by the chin & crash-kissed him before slapping him again. Hook then began yelling at Smee in turn, reciting every single incident in which Smee had failed him, where his fuck-ups had worsened a situation, how he seldom ever successfully resolved a situation. Smee had been shocked for a few seconds, before his anger had risen again & he began yelling at Hook again, kept on reciting every cowardly act of the Captain in the past twenty years. This had continued for about two hours, before the crew had suddenly heard everything fall silent for about five minutes, after which the noises of things being thrown about had began. This had then continued for about an hour, twice a shot going off. After an excruciating twenty minutes of silence after that, the crew was afraid that both had killed one another before an immaculately dressed Hook had stepped out of the Cabin, curiously looked about at the gathered & frightened crew. When a dishevelled Smee had stepped from the cabin in turn, Hook had suddenly begun yelling commands to which the crew hastily scrambled up to perform. After another hour, the ship had turned about & begun a return to the Isle, under the slowly rising light of day. They had left the Isle a few days ago, but wind had been low & they hadn’t taken full advantage of it, meaning they had been just about seventy miles off the Auradonean coast. By the time the ship went full sail, its speed was well past eight knots, meaning they arrived at the Isle, joining an enormous sea-blockade, after just about fifteen hours, when night had just fallen. A few sloops had approached them within minutes, the occupants of which had than proceeded to ask what Hook’s intent was. When declaring he wanted to take a stand & fight the Horned King or at least prevent him from leaving the Isle, they had unbelievingly looked at him. They had gone back to their respective ships before returning hours later, granting them access to moor next to the bridge. If they attempted anything to hamper the defence, they would be blown out of the water, making sure they’d take the bridge with them. Hook felt it a fair enough compromise & had said nothing more of it when the sloops left.

And new he stood at the helm of his ship, Smee standing besides him as they watched the Forbidden Fortress, just visible above the tree-lines, with the enormous column of green fire ascending & descending before it. When the crow’s nest had reported a flying ship approaching from the north, Hook had thought it a lame joke, an attempt at insulting him before he had turned about & saw it. It was a wreck of a boat, with a tree growing straight through it, decorated with bottles & shining in that unmistakeable characteristic light of fairy dust. He had a vague idea who the thing belonged to, but turned away from the sight after a few minutes of observing. This entire situation was crazy, with flying boats, the Jolly Roger part of a naval blockade to stop a king from resurrecting an army of the undead to burn down Auradon. And Hook wondered for a short while how his life had ever come to this point, before Smee had spoken up, suggesting Hook better go sleep. “You’re gonna need to be prepared for tomorrow, Captain. The offence starts at noon, so you better be rested. I’ll make sure the crew has cleaned every single canon by then, to be sure they work properly as they oughta.” Hook turned, ready to leave but unable to leave without some sort of goodbye or thanks. “Smee.” Smee turned to Hook, whose back stood at him as he spoke up. “Thank you, Smee. What you did today, what we did… I… Thank you.” Smee smiled as Hook began walking to his cabin. “You’re welcome, Captain. Good night.” Smee was about to turn back as Hook said something else, softly over the distance now before he entered & closed the door. “I- I like you, Smee. Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jordan, the daughter of the Genie, was born of a human mother, conceived during a single night of pure love, after which the Genie had been bound to leave until he was free once more. It had been a difficult break-up & the whole matter could've turned quite sour, had Aladdin not concerned himself with it & made sure that both mother & daughter had a comfortable life & were able to see Genie from time to time. Jordan had been understanding enough, never blaming her father & enjoying their few times together as best she could. It is rumoured she has inherited some of Genie's powers, but rumour has not yet been confirmed for fact.


	28. Reminiscence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story is nearing the end, as the game slowly draws to a close. The last pause before the final fight, as the masters plan the final moves & prepare their pawns. But even in the last move, not all pawns have been used yet...

Jay was watching Carlos enjoy the view, holding the lithe pale boy in his arms as they were seated on one of the largest branches of the tree, surrounded by the glass bottles on every side. From here, they could see all around them & look far to the horizon. The sun had set several hours ago, but a few rays of light were still radiating over the horizon, reflected in the clouds overhead, casting the entire landscape in a rosy glow. Carlos was sighing deeply, holding on tight to Jay’s strong arms. “I’m afraid, Jay.” Carlos muttered, making Jay hold on tighter to Carlos as he spoke. “I know, C. I’m afraid too, but we’ll survive! We had worse, remember?” Placing a kiss on Carlos’ head, Jay looks down on the boat, scanning the groups of people huddled together in several places. Ben, Mal & Chad were standing together with Evie & Doug, no doubt talking about what strategies to use or how to defeat the Horned King. Jay knew that his newfound powers would be required at some point, even if he didn’t yet now just how to control them. Obviously his mood was very relevant, seeing how they always manifested when he was angry or threatened. But every time he used them was when Carlos had been in danger & that was something he wished to prevent at any cost right now. He wasn’t sure how he could use his powers if Carlos was safe, if he could use them at all. He guessed they’d see soon enough, once they’d arrive at the Isle.

Another few hours later, the Isle had come to view, slowly growing visible bigger as they neared it. Seeing their old home after nearly six months, the Rotten Four felt strange & alienated somehow as they looked down on it. When they’d been forced to leave, they had believed they’d never come to think of Auradon as a new home, a place to begin anew. And now they felt as if they’d forgotten their roots, betrayed the few friends they’d had on the Isle, even if they knew that hadn’t been real friends. The Forbidden Fortress was glaringly obvious, even from this distance, as they all observed the green column of fire that was spouting from the newly restored ruin into the dark clouds which hovered over the Isle. “Well, you gotta hand it to him though. He’s a quick worker. He’s almost made it look like the Forbidden Fortress had never been abandoned.” Jay remarked to Mal as they took in the view before them, to which she only sighed in slight annoyance. “True, but he’ll never be worthy of the Fortress. It won’t listen to him for much longer, once it realizes that he is not my mother.” Carlos walked over to Mal, standing besides her as he began talking in a confused voice. “What do you mean, Mal? I know the Fortress seemed alive but you can’t mean that it’s actually alive, do you?” Mal sighed, not sure how she could explain this to any one, considering how long it had taken her to fully grasp what her mother had told her when she had explained Mal. “The Fortress isn’t exactly alive as it is more just aware of whatever happens within it. Call it an advanced camera or whatever, but it’s aware who rules it. It isn’t quick or clever, but it will realize that its current occupant is not my mother. And when that happens, it will react like it had done to us. It’ll try to scare him away, get him out. That’s why it acted so haunted when we tried to get my mother’s sceptre way in the beginning. But what we experienced will be nothing to what it’ll do when it realizes it has been usurped by the Horned King.”

“Well, that can be useful unless we happen to get stuck in it when that happens, so let’s hope that it begins to happen before we enter it.” Jay snidely commented as he grabbed Carlos back, forcing the smaller teen into a tight hug. Grinning at the remark, Mal merely put herself in Ben’s arms. Having Chad’s arms surround her as well from behind Ben, Mal felt herself slowly relax, forgetting her nerves. She didn’t like Chad too much yet, but she was growing on him. Carlos & Jay were hugged over together some metres away from them, as Evie & Doug merely linked fingers as they stood at the prow of the boat. Even now, with the situation as dire as it was & in the middle of the night, this boat & the tree made everything look gorgeous. Starlight filtering through coloured glass & shining through the foliage, it made the night sky look absolutely marvellous. They’d arrive at the coast in less than an hour & there they’d wait for noon to commence the coordinated attack on the Horned King, together with all the naval ships & ground troops already standing on the by. “We’d better get rested, guys. We’ll arrive soon enough & tomorrow’s gonna be an extremely tiresome.” All nodding in agreement with her, the group quickly retreated into the lower deck of the boat to their assigned cods. Soon enough, they were all fast asleep, safe for Carlos who lay awake listening to the sounds of the world around them. Ever since his Change, he needed next to no sleep anymore & had lain awake often in the night, always trying to busy himself somehow. When they were in the dorm, at least he could tinker with his machines but here he was just content listening to the world as it carried it as if nothing was happening.

He could hear the wind sighing through the trees, wolves howling in the distance far below, night time birds singing, trees croaking as they bend, … He loved being able to hear all these small things, how they complemented the world & made his life have a symphony accompanying every moment. The vague heartbeats of everybody around him were softly audible, low now that they were all asleep. Focussing on Jay’s heartbeat beneath him, Carlos could almost feel Jay dream. Their time together has made Carlos extremely sensitive to every of Jay’s subtleties, how he moved when Carlos was near, what he loved to eat, what movies were his favourite, … He felt anxious for the next day, sensing somehow that not all would end well. Someone was going to die & the thought of it made Carlos’ heart drop, filling him with dread. He tried not to wonder who it’d be, as he tried to focus on the sounds around him. Slowly, he felt sleep overtake him as he kept his focus on the myriad of sounds below them. Sleep would be nice, Carlos thought, right before he finally drifted off…

He was furious & enraged, made the worthless slaves around him work even harder as he was becoming desperate to fix the Black Cauldron. It was nearly repaired, only a single large crack remained in the jet black surface. But he couldn’t give any more of himself to the Cauldron, had no extra life force left to grant to the broken artefact. Any more & he’d crumble into dust, become too frail to live himself. He needed another host, a body filled to the brim with life! But there was none left, safe that abomination that was still skulking around the edge of his domain, prowling about the firewall like a wolf. He knew not what exactly she was, but she felt like them, those dreadful things stirring inside her which wanted him. They were waiting inside her, waiting to claim him after so long. True, he had died & managed to evade them but still, they demanded his soul in exchange of the powers they had granted him. The Cauldron bubbled, almost as if in reply to his private musings. Yes, it was strong enough now to finally feel him, its true master, as he was near. He felt their connection strengthen with every passing minute, as his gifted life force strengthened the Black Cauldron, nursed it back to full power. But it needed to be finished, needed to be given that final piece which would make it whole again. “You! Bring me fresh meat, a beating heart! Human, goblin, mermaid, dragon! Anything!” He bellowed at a passing figure, making it startle away once the command was exclaimed. These worthless things has use still, but not for much longer. Then he could use their useless flesh to fuel the first flames of the Black Cauldron, start his final plan. But until then…

She had been pacing along the edge of the firewall for hours, anger long subsided as she merely waited for the wall to come crashing down. He can’t keep it up forever, she knows, not if he wished to engage her with his own troops & then she’d tear through his army like a storm, kill them all. Rip out their hearts, take over their minds, break their bodies & sully the ground with their blood! The spirits inside her were whispering constantly, having told her what he did to them, what he’d stolen from them without given proper tribute in return. And the knowledge of that betrayal had made her blood boil, her rage had slowly begun to solidify into something infinitely greater & worse than simple fury. They wanted him to pay & they wanted him to do so now, she remembered as she shuddered, while her body creaks & groans. Her porcelain skin is gleaming in the green light, black veins of red ichor softly pulsing underneath it as her mechanical heart keeps beating in tune with the flickering of the flames. The golems behind here have stopped moving hours ago, silently waiting for her orders as they stand still like burning statues. They were easy enough to take over, to force his will out of them & replace it with the will of the spirits inside her, bend the magical words to their will. They’re still glowing blue, cracks in their bodies lighting up like a spider web covered in morning dew as their internal flames lick the night air through them. Their will is too strong for these rudimentary bodies to hold, but as long as they don’t overexert the bodies, they’ll do just fine until the final price has been reaped. As if in reply to her thoughts, the golems all turn their head to her, eyeing her with unseeing eyes, hollows with azure flames burning behind. She returns to her prowling of the firewall, humming her song again as she hovers about the blazing fire, letting the heat fill her body. “'I’ve got no strings ~So I have fun ~I'm not tied up to anyone~”

In her palace, unbeknownst to the Red Queen, the Looking Glass is warping as the final threads with Wonderland are restored. A soft pale light glows from within, filling the empty room with its ghostly illumination. After a few minutes, a figure steps through, clad in royal attire waistcoat, elaborately adorned with ace-cufflinks & heart motive. Large ears are turning about every direction, catching the faintest sounds, as a wet nose sniffs the air, detecting scents almost completely gone. A perfume, sickly sweet of roses mixed with the metallic tint of blood, just barely traceable in the still air, makes the ears twitch, a foot thumping the ground in anxiety as it recognizes the scent. The figure looks about, inspecting the room it found itself in before starting to mutter to itself, repeating the same phrase over & oft as it looks on an overly sized watch it took from its coat pocket. “Too late, almost too late! Have to go, have to hurry, make it in time! Too late!” Leaping back through the Looking Glass, the figure seems to take the pale light with it, returning the room to the absolute darkness it found itself in hours ago, before the soft rays of the moon manage to pierce a few clouds & cascade through the open windows. If one were to enter at that moment, they’d think the room deserted for days, as stale air halts again.

“Seems this game is entering the final match, doesn’t it?” Orddu proclaims to Fates & Muses alike, as she claps her hands in glee, looking down into the Mirrormere. “The big fish has won, the cuttlefish lost, the eels are dead, the bad genie is stripped naked & locked up, the kind grandmother is uniting the heroes & the bad wolf is howling at the door of the king. Oh, I can’t wait to see who’ll win!” She gleefully rants as she’s hopping from foot to foot while the others gather about her. Her sisters aren’t quite sure what has come over her all of a sudden. “Orddu, are ya okay? Why are ya acting like this?” Orddu quickly straightened up from her fit, hurrying to look as dignified as before. “Ah, sorry, just… nerves, excitement. Long game, you know. Sort of happy it’s finishing up.” Orwen & Orgoch eye each other worriedly, shifting their gaze back to Orddu who was now leaning over the lake to have a better look at the scene shown in the reflective surface. “Orgoch, you don’t suppose that…” Orwen was softly whispering to her sister as they begun to wander a small distance away from Orddu’s prying ears. “I dunno, Orw’n, but coul’ be, no?” They both looked back at their sister as they kept whispering, trying their best not to focus attention to themselves. They both knew this behaviour too well, having seen it too many times before in other games where a not so anonymous hand had stirred the odds in certain favours. This was how Orddu reacted every time a game, which she has rigged, is closing to its end, be it lightly or heavily influenced by her or any one else. True, they know Orddu isn’t exactly a fair player, having influenced the outcome of many games via subtle intrusions almost her entire life as the Fate of Future, but this certainly seemed different from all those other times. But then again, this game was different, extremely different to such extent it was almost a new game entirely. The outcome of this game would become a pivot-point for history, a point in time which shall not be able to change once established, serving as the starting-point of a new era, be it of prosperity or despair. Will the heroes win or will they loose? Orwen & Orgoch certainly were as anxious as Orddu about this, but seeing Orddu react like this was making them more anxious about what she had possibly done rather than what was going to happen…

The Muses too seemed disturbed by Orddu’s behaviour, keeping their respective distance from the disturbingly gleeful Fate of Future as they approached the other two Fates. Calliope & Clio were both hurriedly chatting between themselves, as they occasionally shot a puzzled glance towards the lone standing Orddu. Thalia, Terpsichore & Melpomene were awkwardly shuffling about the presence of their arguing sisters as the two remaining Fates were silently arguing as well. Seemingly coming to a consensus between each other in both pairs & nodding at one another when they looked up at each other, all four of them began to approach Orddu, who was still watching the Mirrormere. “What do you four want then, that makes you four unite against me? You wanna rant to me about how I have broken the rules by giving several nudges in the right directions, directions were a future can exist? You all afraid perhaps of how I’m acting, thinking I’ve gone insane after playing several thousand different games?” Orddu said before any of the four had the chance to speak, turning to them as she spoke. “Y’all are afraid I’ve gone soft then, aren’t you? You think I’ve taken a liking to these heroes, want to protect them, right? Well you’re wrong. I’m just making sure the game ends properly & that other games can continue on being played. Which shan’t happen if that king wins & y’all know it.” The four before her were shuffling awkwardly as they let Orddu’s speech wash over them, knowing better than to interrupt her. Technically she was correct, they knew, seeing how the king’s goal was to kill all life on the world. If the King wins, the game ends, the worlds get razed & no other games shall be played afterwards as there shall be no one left. To initiate a new game in that state would require divine intervention & all of them doubted if any of the gods would even give that thought any credence. The past thousand years had seen an incredible sloth in the god’s behaviour concerning divine intervention for the greater good, no doubt an effect of their isolation from the worlds & their material causes.

“Fine then, Orddu. Keep rigging the game, keep breaking the rules! But I ain’t having it! I’m not gonna stick around to be blamed when it all comes out & they’ll come for you!” Thalia suddenly interjected as she stumped over to the Fate, her small stature seemingly growing as her rage vented, preventing any of the others from commenting. “We’ve been letting you do this for so long, it’s almost become normal for the game itself, seeing how we ain’t having some god randomly interrupting the game anymore every so often! But this! This is different & ya know it! I ain’t dealing with it & neither should any of them!” Thalia yelled, gesturing to the others all around her, as they’d been inching closer to the group. Disappearing in a cloud of smoke with a scowl on her face & a hurried goodbye, Thalia vanished & Terpsichore & Melpomene soon followed suit, each vanishing in their own clouds of smoke as they hurried after their sister. “Orddu, you know they’re right, even if it’s with the best intentions. I’m not gonna ask you to change your mind, but we won’t keep around if this is what you’re always going to do. It can’t end well, there must be consequences.” Calliope spoke as she faced Orddu, while the others went to stand behind her. “So… You’re all going to leave me here? Don’t want to dirty your hands, do you? Fine. Go then.” As the last figures were taken away by a last cloud of smoke, leaving Orddu alone at the edge of the Mirrormere, not a single sound remained to be heard as Orddu turned back to the lake & continued watching the game alone…


	29. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle begins! Who shall win & who shall lose?

“Of course, nothing ever goes as planned, which this situation just goes to show, doesn’t it? In which insane plan do you ever plan for your enemy to shoot down & sink one of your frigates?” Mal was seething as she reinforced the wards about her friends, hoping the additional spells placed on it would safeguard them from any physical attacks that’d be aimed towards them. In the distance, she could hear another frigate being splintered apart by the Horned King’s assault, sending another two hundred lives to the bottom of the ocean, if they were lucky. After the first frigate had sunk, hordes upon hordes of goblins had took to the water & begun imprisoning any survivors, herding them unto the land & hurriedly into the Forbidden Fortress. And Mal had just the idea of what would happen to them once in inside. The Black Cauldron was not yet finished, but if things kept going like they were, it wouldn’t take long. Finishing up the wards, Mal kept thinking about that rude awakening just under an hour ago, when a terrible crash had resounded throughout the entire bay as an enormous flash of lightning had struck dead centre the frigate nearest to the Forbidden Fortress. At first natural elements were suspected, but when the flash re-occurred & made the smouldering frigate catch fire, they knew they had lost the element of surprise. After that the frigate had sunk under half an hour, to which sloops of goblins had set out from the caves underneath the Fortress. As she looked aside to the scene, Mal just caught another flash of lightning hitting the second frigate. It had been bombarded with green fireballs prior & was alight on several places. All other frigates were now savagely firing at the Fortress, hitting the craggy cliffs just underneath the masonry time & time again. It was too high up for any cannon to hit.

Jay was helping in his own way, as he had allowed Mal to use him as a conduit to strengthen the magic she was using on the group before her. Channelling & strengthening the magic of the spell through him into the rest of the group, it enabled her to focus more on the incantation themselves, instead of dividing her attention & focus between the incantation & gathering of the energy needed. She was using spells she hadn’t been able to cast before & they were increasingly more useful as they were bound with all the other spells yet cast upon the group. They ranged from basic protective wards & sygils to elaborate incantations for luck & instinct. If done right, they should prevent anyone protected by them from being hit by either projectiles, blows & strikes, considering they were of a physical kind. Blocking anything magical would take a lot more time, time that was simply not present. Only one last spell & they’d be done, but mama Odie had already begun her descend upon the bridge to let everyone of the boat before she’d retreat to a safer distance & use her light magic from high above, to both distract the Horned King & protect any large targets. “Himinn seinkarr pad sem slaer~” A last aura, azure, surrounding the group & she was done. She let herself sink to her knees, exhausted by the exercise as Jay almost fell to the floor, barely caught by Carlos behind him. These wards & spells had taken every ounce of strength within her & she could barely imagine how Jay felt, considering this was his first experience with channelling magical energy in any amount, let be this much. But they barely had time to recover & take a breath, as the boat rocked with contact to the bridge. Mama Odie quickly called out from her cabin, as they got to their feet, ready to depart. “Zanmi, remember! Destroy the Cauldron at any cost!”

The next minutes were but a blur in conscious memory to any who partook in the storming towards the Forbidden Fortress. Auradonean force-troops were battling with goblin raiders in every direction, as they all ran through the battles which seemed to ignore them. Obviously the goblins saw none of the children as threats, only reacting to the presence of Fairy Godmother, who had her hands full with them. From every conceivable hiding place, goblins were pouring out towards her, launching themselves at her, only to be struck down by her magic as she skilfully twirled her wand about & knocked each assailant down to the ground, out cold for the next hour. Mal could only think of how impressive it was for mere seconds before she had resumed her sprint through the Nowhere, quickly joining Carlos & Jay. Carlos had taken advantage of the situation by having changed into his wolf, a white blur jumping to & fro around them, striking down on any goblins nearing their position as he tore out their throats. She was vaguely repulsed but awesomely impressed by his raw strength & was very happy that he was on their side instead of being a foe. Jay let his magic strike out uncontrollably whenever a goblin targeted him, striking them down with various spells & effects, each a startlingly golden colour, turning some goblins in piles of sand while others began experience life as panicked poultry. Guiding him as they ran, Mal was glad to see Jay easily picking up her tricks as she shared them with him. After just fifteen minutes of frantic running, dodging & fighting, they had reached the firewall, which still raged about. Seeing the Red Queen approach them, Mal tried to ignore her foul aura & focussed on the wall. She could remember a spell about cancelling something like this, but hadn’t practiced it, like so many things she had to do today.

“Fyandmaeldur slokknah!” As Mal focussed on the image of a fire being quenched by water, she could feel a wave of cold run through her body, from her soles through her abdomen out her fingers. As she opened her eyes, pretending a crashing torrential wave smothering the green flames, she could faintly see a wave of light envelop the flames. Slowly being smothered by the light magic, the firewall died down as it began to push back up the column of fire just behind. Mal knew she couldn’t hold this for long & quickly ushered Carlos & Jay through, as several others arrived on the scene behind her. Ben, Chad, Doug & Evie had reached her just as the flames died down & after seeing Carlos & Jay run through, followed suit after them. She saw Ben stop for a moment & cursed loudly. “Ben Lebéte, get your ass out there & stop him! Now!” Her anger kicked him back into gear as he turned back around & hurried after the others, as the Red Queen faced her from behind the former wall. “Thank you, Malbertha. It seems you had your uses after all.” That singsong voice was eerily wrong, more melodical than natural & Mal fancied she could recognize something of a harp-string in its timbre. “Don’t worry about your friends. Now that I’m here, they’ll be the least of the Horned King’s problems.” The doll blinked at her & it took Mal a second to recognize it as a wink, before she had turned about & walked towards the Fortress. Feeling her strength give way, Mal hurried away from the spot as the column of fire lurched back into the rocks & the firewall erupted from the cleft in the ground, nearly scorching her as she fell back. Fairy Godmother joined her soon after, as goblins began amassing around Mal’s position. “Mal, are you okay?” The principal looked as if she’d been attacked by swiping trees, tears & cuts in every piece of clothing with twigs stuck through her dishevelled hair. “Fine, I’m fine. The other’s are through, but so is the Red Queen.” Fairy Godmother had just moments to look both contented & disgruntled before a fresh wave of suicidal goblins hurled themselves at both figures.

Carlos was running through the castle corridors in a rage, having been separated from jay the moment they entered the accursed structure. The scents of the Fortress were thick with decay, filth & goblin blood, masking anything less potent than the pure rot of decomposing corpses. And the damned goblins launching themselves at his reaping jaws didn’t improve his mood either. They tasted vile, sour & dirty, like unclean things grown in damp caverns. It’d take weeks, if not months, for the disgusting taste to leave his mouth of they survived this. And the possibility of Jay ending up death at the end of this assault made his blood boil even more. For the first time since his Change, the parasite & himself were in complete unison, flitting through the halls like shadows & reaping death to any figure standing in their way as they tried to make their way to that faint scent which was fouler than anything else here. They knew it to be the Horned King, as it tasted like he sounded, old & corrupted, alike decades old moulds kicked up from half-decayed corpses. Carlos was torn between wanting to find Jay & wanting to kill the King, but he knew that, logically speaking, he had more chance of saving Jay by killing the King than by searching for his lost mate. The corridors higher up in the structure were cleaner, as they had been cleaned for restoration recently, Carlos thought as he smelled the still drying cementing paste between new & old bricks. The higher he’d go, the cleaner the air would be as well & the easier it would become to find this rotten figure. But walking like a wolf became harder & when the first stairs became ridiculously small & short, he was obliged to change back into his human shape & ascend on foot. Blanketed in the cloak he’d been draped with by Jay after his change, because walking in the nude after changing back would be extremely awkward, especially if they’d manage to save the world. Nose in the air, Carlos keeps tracking the scent higher & higher up, until he arrived in the highest part of the main-body of the Forbidden Fortress. Looking down through the foyer, he can see the Horned King busying himself with the Cauldron, horrified to see just what it is the King’s doing to it. He barely keeps in a scream of horror as he leaps beyond a pillar, trying not to vomit from the sight.

Chad & Ben had barely managed to keep up with Evie until they’d entered the Fortress, becoming separated by the confusing layout of the place. He’d been sure they’d entered the same corridor, but when they’d looked about, only he & Chad had been walking down it. And by then, the entrance of the long corridor had disappeared from sight, while goblins had begun following their trail. They had had no choice but go forward, deeper into the structure of the Fortress. Mould & stone rot was everywhere they looked, as they’d seemingly entered the dungeons. All about them, empty cells were lining the hallway, some empty while others were filled with bones & piles of indescribably debris & detritus. A stench of rotten water & mould hung in the air, as they slowly made their way through the corridors. A few torches lit the dark up & after a while, the first sign of recent occupancy were becoming clear, as blood & other fluids began staining the floors & walls around them. The first corpse they stumbled across was terribly bloated & already begun to liquefy, a horrible smell assailing their nostrils as they passed the ghastly sight. The following bodies were fresher & fresher, until they had finally entered the corridor with the first live prisoners, who promptly began yelling about, pleading freedom, food & water. It took all of Ben’s willpower to ignore their sorrows & pains, Chad tightly holding onto his arm as they stalked through the hall. The prisoners were of varying appearances, some obviously humans but others degradingly decadent & loathsome, more akin to demons than anything else. Goblins were also present, but they seemed of a different kind than those they had avoided on their run to the Fortress. They reminded Ben more of the Dwarves than of the goblins they’d seen & he figured these were probably the goblins employed by Auradon to bring in the barges of garbage & filth they send out to the Isle. But every single prisoner present pleaded with them as they came into view, putting out their hands through the rusted & rough bars towards them, trying to hang on to the hems of their garments as they passed the cells. By the time they exited the dungeons & entered an open courtyard, Ben was seething with anger as Chad tried to keep him calm & collected. Someone would pay for all this by the end of this entire attack & it wouldn’t be clean.

Evie was more afraid than she’d ever been, as she & Doug made their way through the main foyer of the Fortress. Wherever they looked, lifeless bodies were hung from the ceiling in shackles, covered in gore & filth. The stench was bad, but she knew it’d be much worse in mere days, when decent decomposition would set in. Doug was absolutely shaking at her side & she figured he’d never seen anything even remotely close to this. Growing up on the Isle, this was bad but not the worst she’d ever seen. But she had the feeling it wouldn’t take long that even she would begin to feel sick at the possible sights they’d behold. If this was simply a welcome, how would the reception turn out? Pulling out her mirror, she whispered softly. “Mirror so bright, shine a flashing light.” A harsh light erupted from the small mirror & she cast it about the room, illuminating the bodies & inspecting every detail. They weren’t new but they weren’t old either. No doubt they had shared in the Horned King’s wrath when the Red Queen had take hostage of his golems yesterday. They shouldn’t have been so decomposed already, but considering the harsh regime a tyrant like the King would wield, she suspected that the bloating was more due to worms & parasitic infestations than real decomposition. She squeezed Doug’s hand & motioned him to silently follow her, leading him through the foyer & into the reception, a long hallway sparsely illuminated by few torches. The stench here was absent & the air was almost clean, but Evie could barely make out a faint scent of lingering mould. She had smelled it a year before, when they had entered the Forbidden Fortress in search for Maleficent’s sceptre & even then the air had been less foul. It seems the Horned King really changes the world around him to reflect his foul nature.

They were just about to enter past the reception when a terrible roar reverberated through the Fortress, walls shaking about them as they quickly hurried to cover. Mere seconds later, a crowd of goblins fled past them, hurrying away through the doors out of the Fortress. Evie had the distinct sensation that something was utterly & terribly wrong indeed, as a nauseating aura enveloped them once they began climbing stairs to the next level of the Fortress. She could just feel that they were nearing the Horned King & had just a moment to wonder where he was when she was suddenly knocked back. Before her, the Horned King stood trembling in fury, his eyes glowing beneath his hood & fixed on the two before him. “Evelyn Grimgeboren, whatever are you doing here, child?” The voice was coarse, croaking, as if splintering wood tried to articulate words & it pained Evie’s ears to listen to it for more than a second. His eyes quickly passed from her to Doug behind her, as she tried to get up. She was thrown back before she got up, held down by a pair of goblins as the Horned King seized Doug by the collar & raised him high above the floor. “Now, this, this is certainly a surprise, my dear. You brought just what I needed, indeed.” Dragged from her position by the goblins, Evie struggled to free herself as they were brought to the highest point of the castle, where the Black Cauldron stood bubbling above a harsh fire. It was nearly repaired, to Evie’s horror, as she was but a single crack remaining in the jet-black surface. And she suddenly realized what was going to happen, as she felt her heart drop with horror. “No, don’t! Let him go!” The Horned King merely chuckled as he kept her eyes locked with his, before plunging his skeletal hand through Doug’s chest, tearing out the beating heart & throwing it into the Cauldron before it had stopped pumping. Doug was thrown to the floor, his eyes glassy & bulging in a last emotion of surprise, as his blood slowly poured frim the gaping hole. Evie could feel tears running down her cheeks as she numbly watched the Cauldron repair itself. “All I needed, the last ingredient, was an innocent heart. But now, this new flesh will do just fine to fuel my beloved Cauldron, Evie dear. Don’t cry about this worthless runt & instead be glad he’s serving such noble a cause & purpose.” 

Jay couldn’t see anything, losing Carlos moments after they entered this place. Pitch-black darkness surrounded him & even his years of skill were useless here as he stumbled about the corridor. He was just about to curse his human eyesight before he remembered a spell Mal had shared a few weeks ago, which could render his eyes able to see everything about him. Standing still for a time, trying to remember the exact spell, Jay kept his ears peeled for the least sound. It was eerily quiet & Jay thought that it was quite unnatural for any place to be this still when a roar was softly audible in the distance. It wasn’t as much audible as it was felt reverberating through the stonework of the walls & floors. It lasted a few seconds, before the silence crept in again. After nearly a dozen minutes, he remembered the exact words of the spell & tried muttering them under his breath. He tried to focus on that feeling of power surging through him as he had experienced when Mal used him as conduit less than an hour ago. When he opened his eyes again, he was amazed to see it worked, able to see everything in the corridor about him. And he saw he had been right to stand still, as all about him spikes protruded from the surfaces. Looking back, he saw he’d been lucky to avoid several spikes by sheer luck before he got here. Steadily making his way through the corridor & avoiding the spikes, it took a while before he finally left the passage & entered a crossroads of sorts. Jay was at a loss of where to go before he saw a few things he’d otherwise never have noticed. A slight disturbance in the dust, vague smudges in the filth on the walls, a sense of air-currents, … They all showed him that a singular passageway had been used quite frequently & just recently, obviously leading to the way out of this maze. Obviously the spell was responsible for this, as Jay knew he would usually never even bother to check such things at all. As he followed the corridor, a soft wind became obvious & he hastened his pace, finally exiting into a large courtyard. He was higher than before, as no trees were visible over the wall & the largest tower was less high. Seeing how all trails in the courtyard led to & from a single large door, he knew this would lead to the King & eventually to Carlos. He had figured out Carlos would wager that killing the King would save Jay & Jay was of the same mind anyways. Carefully making his way across the yard, staying in the shadows as he crossed it, he slipped through the door & evaded several goblins standing guard about it. They were unaccustomed to intruders as they even ignored jay’s accidental brush against a bucket, causing it to fall. They had regarded the object for a few seconds before they’d gone back to staring off into the distance.

Jay kept climbing the stairs he found most used & eventually entered a large foyer, spotting Carlos behind a pillar near him. Excitedly rushing towards him, Jay hugged him tight & tried to ask where he had been before spotting the expression of utter horror on Carlos’ face. “Carlos? What happened? Are you okay?” Carlos merely pointed to the large open space behind them, causing Jay to look over the balustrade, down unto a terrible scene. Far below them, Evie was shackled to the wall as the Horned King was casually disembowelling a body & feeding the extracted organs into the fully reformed Black Cauldron, which stood furiously boiling in the centre of the room. All about lay bones & decaying corpses & Jay was just about to ask what had shaken Carlos so badly when the Horned King turned away from the fresh corpse & revealed Doug’s severed head. Instantly feeling sick & utterly disgusted, Jay quickly turned away before the sight made him vomit. He felt his breathing become ragged as he felt utter despair washing down over him. Doug was dead & the Horned King had utterly dismembered the poor boy. Gods, how could they ever face his parents after today? Slowly making his way over to Carlos, he tried his best to calm his nerves & steady his breathing. Carlos was simply staring to the wall, face gone expressionless & blank. Jay tried to snap the boy out of it, to no avail, before giving him a slap in the face, hoping it would somewhat shock him into sense. But before his hand could reach Carlos’ face, it was gripped by a suddenly very attentive Carlos who looked ready to kill. “He hurt Evie.” Jay slowly lowered his hand, still held by Carlos. “I know, Carlos. Come on, we’ve gotta save her.” Carlos remained still, face distorted in anger. “He hurt Evie!” Oh gods, Carlos was losing control, Jay thought as he watched his mate’s face shift. Quickly backing away while ripping the cloak from Carlos’ shoulders, Jay watched as Carlos shifted back into a wolf, eyes glaring red in rage & anger. Before he could stop him, Jay watched Carlos jump over the balustrade & land square on the Horned King’s shoulders, jaws locking tightly about the figure’s bony neck. 

They’d been walking through the corridors for almost an hour, seeking out the few golems wandering through the ground-flour hallways. They were all easily subdued & now followed obediently, filing behind them in order. Seems the Horned King had send almost all of them out to fight, leaving a select few behind to guard certain rooms. The corpses littering the floor everywhere were certainly a distraction, as they had to control themselves from resurrecting them in favour of deals they could make with them, but they had a more important goal right now. They knew exactly where he was & would get to him eventually, but for now they had to gather up every last of these false creatures & use them for their ultimate & only goal. Once they’d be done, not a single stone would remain standing on this spot. Certainly, no one would ever speak of the Horned King again. They’d make sure of it, as sure as the hellfire they had been condemned to aeons ago. Slowly making their way up the stairs, they had felt the Cauldron rejoice in being reborn when that last thing needed for its resurrection was taken & sacrificed. It tasted of innocence, severed love & pain – deliciously taunting them as they drew nearer to the spot. What they had not expected however was to see a wolf tearing the king to shreds on the spot, pieces of torn-of meat scattering the ground about them as intestines of the latest sacrifice littered the space about the Cauldron, covering it in gore & blood. “Truly, it’s one of those days again, is it not, Fhaerishal?” The Horned King threw off the wolf & looked at them in horror, before they lifted him up & threw him down into the Cauldron’s boiling depths…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! AO3 had some problems during the last week, so now we can finally upload the newest chapter!
> 
> The curses/spells used are the following, with their translations;  
> Fyandmaeldur slokknah = Let the flames be quenced.  
> Himinn seinkarr pad sem slaer = Heaven, delay hard strikes. 
> 
> The next chapter will be the last of the story, with the conclusion & ending. As such, it will not adhere to the 4000 or 10.000 word-count goals! It will be as long as needed to properly end the story!
> 
> After that, there will be a few extra chapters, which will be a surprise till they're posted ^w^


	30. Sneak Peek of Final Chapter - Resignation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's a small single paragraph sneak-peek of the last chapter of the story. Sorry I haven't updated it before, but I've had a lot on my mind the past months. Since a week I've begun my writing again - starting another story that i've been wanting to write for a looong time. And now I have re-started on this on. Enjoy!

The last thing that Evie consciously remembered was the horrifying sight of Doug being killed before her eyes, followed by a darkness & a hazy recollection of seeing things unfold before her as if they were a movie played before her eyes. She could not focus, was simply trapped in her inner-mind, screaming & crying as she tried to block the sigh of Doug’s death – which she was failing miserably. She was vaguely aware of her body being moved, shackles banded to her limbs & wetness clinging to her cheeks. A multitude of noises echo around her hazed consciousness & she’s aware that someone is speaking at regular intervals, but she can’t agree if it’s aimed at her or someone else. The scene before her is dark, almost translucent, as she absentmindedly stares at it through glassy eyes. She can see a figure circling a large object, almost reverently busy with it, talking to it, rubbing it. Eventually she sees another figure, suddenly dropping down from somewhere above, launching itself at the former. It’s white, growling & howling. It seems familiar, but she can’t understand how. What happened again? She can’t remember where she is… Than her memory finally catches up with her waking consciousness, realisation setting in as she lets out a tortured scream. Her voice echoes against the stone walls, reverberating back unto itself & magnifying. She can’t stop, the scream keeps coming, rising even more in pitch & volume as it endures. The figures before her retreat, ears covered frantically as they to yell in pain. The white figure is almost howling in misery while the other backs off towards the cauldron on the fire. She remembers, her anger & pain turning to fury as her newfound power makes the castle shake on its foundations. She gets it now, what this is, what she can do. Now she knows why magic was innate to her & her mother, how her mother had pulled off her most daring disguise ever to murder Snowhite. They were the wailing women, descendants of Black Anise, who scream terror & pain when great ones fall. Banshee, witch, dark nymph. And she felt thousands of years of instinct kicking in, manifesting in her as control & power.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Black Anise was a well-known medieval legendary figure, native to Ireland & the British Isles. Described as a wild woman, with long tangled hair, she always sat in her oak to snatch up horse-riders & eat them. She was classified then as a Banshee or then as a hag or a witch. Go search her, it's a very interesting read.
> 
> Banshee, also called a Wailing Woman, is a legendary figure said to appear whenever a person of great stature is about to die, mournfully wailing & crying as said person approaches the end of their life. When they finally die, the Banshee screams & wails horribly till the night is over. She is a primarily scottish legend, but is well-known through the rest of the british isles.


	31. Resignation and Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion, the end, the ultimate chapter!
> 
> We end this tale of heroism and tragedy, of a world of fantasy - as the final show-down happens and blood is paid...

The last thing that Evie consciously remembered was the horrifying sight of Doug being killed before her eyes, followed by a darkness and a hazy recollection of seeing things unfold before her as if they were a movie played before her eyes. She could not focus, was simply trapped in her inner-mind, screaming and crying as she tried to block the nightmarish sight of Doug’s death – which she was failing miserably and could not believe, didn’t want to believe. She was vaguely aware of her body being moved about, shackles bound to her limp limbs and a vague wetness clinging to her cheeks. A multitude of noises echoed around her hazed consciousness and she was aware that someone is speaking at regular intervals, but she couldn’t agree if it was aimed at her or at someone else entirely. The scene before her was mostly dark, almost translucent, as she absentmindedly stared at it through her unfocussed and glassy eyes. She could see a figure that was slowly circling a large object, almost reverently busy with it and talking to it, rubbing its dented dark surface. Eventually she saw another figure, suddenly dropping down from somewhere high above, from the ceiling or some unseen balcony, launching itself at the former. It was white, growling and howling at the other unknown person. It seemed so familiar, but she could not understand how that was possible. 

What had happened again? She could not remember where she was, what had happened… Then her hazy memory finally caught up with her fully awaking consciousness, stark terrifying realisation setting in as she let out a tortured scream into the vacant void outside her mind. Her voice echoed painfully against the stone walls of the chamber, reverberating back unto itself and magnifying tenfold each time. She couldn’t stop, the scream kept endlessly coming, rising even more in pitch and volume as it endured and went on. The figures before her retreated, each had its ears covered frantically as they yelled in pain and anguish. The white figure was now almost howling in misery while the other backed off towards the unknown object on the blazing fire. She remembered then, her anger and pain turning to fury as her newfound power made its way out and made the castle shake on its aged foundations. She got it now, what this was, what she could do unbeknownst before. Now she knew why magic was innate to her and her mother, how her mother had pulled off her most daring disguise ever in her attempt to murder Snowhite and secure her throne. They were the wailing women, descendants of Black Anise, who scream terror and pain when great ones fall to the ravages of time and mortal sin. Banshee, witch, dark nymph – she knew now. And she felt thousands of years of instinct kicking in, manifesting in her as control and power over that awful voice. 

As Carlos hit the ground and began his attack on the Horned King, he could see Evie finally waking up from her groggy unconsciousness, shackled to the damp stained wall of the room. Relieved to see her still alive yet intently weary of the battle he was now fighting, he focused all his attention on the Horned King, swiping and striking at the bony figure with razor sharp claws and furious motions led by primal instinct. His claws shredded the billowing robes of the figure and he even managed to scrape the King’s flesh a few times. Blood spatters fell to the filthy ground, dark and acrid smelling, making Carlos turn his sensitive nose away from them. Then the screaming started, from somewhere far away. At first he ignored it, keeping his focus on the horned King but when the scream became so much louder, he turned to the source and saw a distraught Evie opening wide her jaw in anguish and sorrow. Carlos stood shocked for a moment, looking at and taking in her appearance, with lines and wrinkles seemingly appearing and vanishing on her face in split seconds, almost too fast for him to follow. Her eyes were almost completely white, as if she was blind but he couldn’t focus on her too long. 

A second later and the sound became unendurable for his sensitive ears as he covered them. He howled in pain as it grew ever louder and he could feel the very castle shake all about him. She was rocking the entire structure, he realised with a start as he leapt up to the balcony, leaving the King to her non-existent mercy. Because he knew that this was a scream of anger and fury, loathing and sorrow, anguish and distress. This was Evie getting angry and it terrified his inner wolf so much that it felt as if a storm was brewing in the very room. He barely noticed Jay joining his side as he kept looking at Evie, who has begun pulling at her shackles, tearing the iron bands’ fastenings from the crumbling rock. The iron bands gave away much too easily and he realised that there was more magic at work here than it seemed at first glance. The King was still doubled over, with his hands covering his ears as he backed away towards the Cauldron, in vain hope of using its own innate magic to protect him from hers. 

A few more seconds later and Evie was free, her eyes finally focussing on the Horned King as she took a deep breath. For a split second, the world went absolutely quiet, as if all sound has been swallowed up and all was deaf, not a single sound present, not even an exhaled breath. And then she screamed once more, all of it directed to the Horned King now, rending him slowly in her full fury. Carlos whined and howled in fear, as Jay gasped in fear at the scene unfolding, hands clutching about Carlos’ shivering form as the Horned King began to scream in equal agony.

As if commanded to obey her, every single flame in the room – and presumably the castle, Carlos reasoned afterwards, was snuffed out instantly. All but the fire under the Cauldron - which was bubbling and boiling profusely now, as if stoked by the very fires f hell itself. Stretching her arms out, Evie reached towards the Horned King and the very shadows acted as extensions to her limbs, elongating and wrapping themselves about their target. As they wrapped themselves about the struggling figure of the horned King, Evie spoke for the first time, voice raw and croaking but powerful as the very wind and terrifying as the stormy sea. “You worm, insignificant creature born from mud and blood. You dare? You dare kill those I cherish? You dare make me scream for my friends, my loved ones? Are you truly that stupid, Poll worm?” She twisted her hands, the shadows mimicking the actions and making the King scream in agony as his skin tore loose from the flesh beneath. “Tha mi a 'mionnachadh gu mhàthair talamh, gu athair speur, a sheanmhair teine! Bithidh mi a bhriseadh agaibh cnàmhan, adhlaic do smior, loisgidh 'ur feòil, sguab às an d' ainm! Do bith bithidh duslach ann an vastness ùine, a 'dìochuimhneachadh a h-uile ni d' ainm and bidh sibh gu bràth seargadh air falbh!” Her words were waves of primal power now, crashing mercilessly against the figure bound in shadows beneath which blood began to pool. 

Her voice, high and grating, slowly eroded the struggling creature, its flesh being sanded away by the unending torrent of power that flowed from her chapped and split lips. Carlos was breathless, having reverted back to human form as his inner wolf was pushed back to the very deepest parts of his subconscious mind. He held tight unto Jay, who was equally quivering beneath his touch at the spectacle they beheld. They could barely put to words what they were seeing, how the Horned King was slowly being tortured beyond comprehension as layer after layer of the figure’s anatomy was exposed to the stale and stagnant air, removed bit by bit as if by expert hands. As muscles began to show and blood was welling from the thousands of cuts in the flesh, the screaming of the King resounded echoing across the corridors of the vast castle. Deeper within the castle, deeper than should have been possible, both servants and attackers stopped dead silent in their actions. Every ear could now clearly hear the echoes, the tortured pain of a tormented soul beyond help. As each looked at the other in horror of what could be heard, feet got in motion and many fled the horrid scene in pure panic fear. 

Minutes passed and the duo on the balcony could only watch in horror as the scene neared its climactic end. Blood now covered half the room, dripping down from ceiling and wall alike, slowly pooling beneath the Cauldron – where the flames had turned purple now, as if fed some detestably hellish ichor. Evie stood completely still, looking as she did before but absolutely drained. Pale and frightened, she finally collapsed and fell to the ground. Finally shaken from his stupor, Carlos leapt down to her side and took her in his arms. “Evie, are you okay? Evie, wake up!” As Jay made his way down to them, Evie opened her eyes barely as her breath picked up again. “Carlos, he... Doug... I-“ Carlos quickly cut her off, pulling her close to him as he spoke. “I know. I’m so sorry, Evie, so sorry.” Jay joined them and held a hand to Evie’s back as Carlos cradled her sobbing form. “Hey, E, we still have a job to do. How are we gonna destroy the Cauldron?” 

Carlos looked at Jay in disbelief, wanting to punch the tall teen for being so inconsiderate that moment. But before he could react, a tremor coursed through the castle as a distant tower succumbed to the ravages of Evie’s power display. As a breeze filled the room with some fresh air, a faint hollow voice sounded near the far corner. “Stupid girl, thinking you can kill me...” Frozen in fear at the King’s voice, the trio could feel the breeze circle them. As it settled, blood began to drawl towards the Cauldron. “I have spent my life, my energy, my soul - to this Cauldron, petty pawns. As long as it lives, I cannot die! I shall ever be reborn anew!” As the blood began to drip upwards along the Cauldron, dust was gathering above the rim and began forming the translucent shade of a man. The figure, barely visible and more akin to a skeleton draped with a cloak, swirled on its axis to face them and spoke again, that hollow voice coursing through the marrow of their bones. “Witness my noble rebirth and tremble in fear! For this is the power of the Cauldron, from which my army shall be born.” Evie merely chuckled at the words, causing Carlos and Jay to look at her in confusion as the figure slowly materialized more fully above the clean rim. 

“One problem though. Didn’t you say it needed a final sacrifice? Would blood count?” They focussed on the blood instantly, which was still flowing upward along the Cauldron’s belly, with a single drop balancing on the very rim, ruby red unlike the other dark ooze. But instead of up, it slowly slid downwards towards the inside, nearing the boiling surface in a snail’s pace. The figure howled at the realisation of its difference, hands fleetingly trying to catch the drop in vain – as it dripped down and vanished into the swirling mass of the Cauldron’s brew. “No! No! Nooo! How? What have you done, filthy witch?” Evie simply chuckled again, dryly pointing a finger and showing a small cut to the seething wraith. “Mixing my blood with yours, well, that makes your blood acceptable as a sacrifice. Now, correct me if I’m wrong but the Cauldron doesn’t discriminate, right? I’m still alive, but you’re not. I can’t be a sacrifice, but you can. I guess this is goodbye, huh, King?” 

The figure began to rage, howling and rising up to swoop down at them in furious anger. But ere it reached them, a strong wind streamed through the chamber, centering above the Cauldron and gently pulling at the airborne dust floating about. “Are you ready~” A musical tone resounded from thin air, the words almost flowing into the chamber through the growing wind. The figure above the Cauldron stilled instantly, misty eyes wide open in fear as it registered the tones. “No. No!” The wind became stronger, as the musical tone grew softly louder. “Are you ready~ Ready to pay your debt?” The figure howled again, vainly trying to break free from the swirling wind of the Cauldron pulling him in, arms and bony hands outstretched in futile actions. In the darkness, green and purple eyes had become barely visible from nothing as the voice began to sing again, hollow yet not death but more alive than living. “Are you ready to pay your debt~ Ready to pay your soul~ For the shadows give way none for free~”

Cracks now formed in the battered stone walls, as curious and ghostly tribal masks pushed their way through with their luminous eyes glowing vibrantly, focussed on the figure writing above the Cauldron. Desperately trying to stay out of the accursed artefact, the Horned King’s shade pushed against the rim with all his might as his tail almost reached the broiling surface. “We are from the other side~ You took what was ours long ago~ Now we take back what we please~ We can read your future~ And see we ain’t gonna change around like we’d do~ Are you ready~” Small dolls had begun to emerge from the shadows, their eyes glowing as well as more masks had erupted from the walls and ceiling. Beneath the Cauldron, the kids saw a massive shadow form with a pair of great green eyes focussing on the King. “No! I can repay you! I swear! Just let me be! I can give you the world!” His hopeless pleading almost became a whining as beneath him, an enormous mask emerged from the ground with the Cauldron centre in its gaping maw. “Are you ready to pay your friends from the other side~” The Horned King howled as he was slowly being dragged into the Cauldron inch by inch, all the while the small and colourful dolls climbing it or beginning to swipe at his shade with their needles and pins. “No. No! Nooo!” As he finally got sucked into the Cauldron with a long whining howl, the massive mask’s maw snapped up and shut, swallowing both Cauldron and shade while extinguishing the remaining fire. 

Darkness descended, utter and complete, impermeable. Even Carlos could not see a thing, as they stood absolutely still for what seemed like hours. Then, one by one, the torches on the wall fluttered alight again and showed the room absolutely devoid of blood or dust. The only thing left, silently poised above a now cold fire pit, was the Cauldron, shining as if scoured completely clean and completely empty safe for a small pool of silvery water at the bottom. All the masks and dolls had gone, a final sound alike a shush sounding faintly in some corridor far away, just barely audible. “Well... That was different.” Jay commented with a wry chuckle as they realised that the Horned King was truly gone now, claimed by forces beyond their reckoning. “Please don’t tell me that was planned from the beginning.” He said, aimed at Evie who just stared back at him and shook her head quietly, eyes wide in surprise and confusion. “Good, because that would’ve been too freaky even for us...”

“We have to destroy the Cauldron still. Look, it’s completely restored now.” Evie croaked wheezing as she pointed a finger at the object mentioned – which stood shining with its gilded surface alike a beacon amidst the burned-out coals. Soft whispers emanated from its solid frame, as the fire beneath it lit back up with a deep purple hue. Carlos and Jay moved to stand up, but were stopped by a small tug on their hands by Evie. “No. Let me do it.” Carlos gasped and sank to his knees, taking Evie’s hands in his. “No, E, you can’t. We’ll-“ Evie stopped him with a stern look, speaking softly as he remained silent. “No, Carlos, I- I can’t live on without Doug. You have to understand that. It’d be like if you had to live without Jay. I cannot expect either of you to live without the other if I can take your place and be happy. At least, this way, I’ll get to see Doug again.” She gave a weak smile as a tear rolled down her cheek, Carlos holding his breath as he weighed the options and sought for a solution. But she was right, either one of them, be it him or Jay, would be totally lost without the other. And Doug… But he couldn’t just let a friend sacrifice herself for him if he could help it. “No, Evie, I won’t let you.” The look she gained in her eyes after that sentence frightened Carlos, a blank stare that spoke determination and anger. “As if I’d let you choose, guys.” Before they could react, a long shadow lifted between from the ground and pushed them aside, grounding them to their location as Evie got up and started walking towards the Cauldron. “It needs to be destroyed by a person willingly stepping into it. I want to be with Doug, so I guess it’ll work. Just- Get out before the thing blows, okay? I mean, Jay, who’s left on the island?” Jay swallowed and concentrated, his inner eye scanning the Isle. People were leaving, by bridge or by boat but Mama Odie’s boat was still moored. “Mal and Ben are evacuating people. I can’t see anyone lingering on-“ 

He was rudely interrupted by the vast oaken door of the room swinging wide open, the Queen stepping through it with her mechanical body whirring and chirping as she moved. “If thou’d kindly wait, child. We have a very vested interest indeed in that Cauldron.” Her cold musical voice echoed through the room, eerie and dry, a sound alike from a nightmare. It made Jay crunch his teeth and Carlos whine lowly as she spoke. “You are not coming near to this thing, you abomination.” Evie’s voice was stern, cold and distant, a crackle of energy sounding through it. “Don’t think a power display shall stop us, banshee. Thou are but a wailing woman, destined be thee to wail for the living, not the dead. Thou hast no power of us.” The Queen coldly replied, her screw nails tapping impatiently against her porcelain skin as she berated the young woman. “Doesn’t mean she can’t try, you stupid doll.” Jay bounced back, from his place still bound by shadows. She turned her head to the boys and took their appearance to note for a few seconds before speaking again, voice low and tone chilling. “Not only haveth we found a banshee, but also a Djinn ande a werewolf. How unexpectedly quaint. Truly, tis been a long while ere we haveth seen such a nice menagerie to toyed with. We wonder, dost thou howl in human tongue or alike a wolf, child?” She glared at Carlos, who merely growled deeply at her in response – to which she let out a high chuckle, heckling the hairs of the teens.

She moved to step closer, but a sudden flash made her shriek in surprise as she stumbled back from it. Entering from the opposite door, Mal held her hand stretched out, aimed towards the Shadow Puppet. Chunks of porcelain fall away to the ground, black wisps of smoke trailing from the cracks in the damaged skin and escaping into the flowing air. “Not a step closer to my friends, you bitch. Or you’ll have a pair of dark faeries to deal with.” Carlos and Jay looked in confusion at Mal, as Evie moved softly closer to the Cauldron and carefully weaved shadows through the entire room. She had to act quickly, or this whole situation would blow up like a powder keg. “Mal? What fairy?” Jay asked, face crunched in confusion as he just blankly stared at the purple clad girl. “Why, me of course, you silly boy? It’s clear that, like Gaston, you inherited terribly poor wits.” A high voice responded from the darkness behind Mal, as a pair of luminous green eyes became instantly visible. Slowly stepping into the torchlight of the chamber, Maleficent revealed herself, in a dramatic fashion as was her routine. Honestly, Evie kinda expected it – she had grown tremendously the past month so it was bound to happen sooner rather than later. She took everybody’s distraction as an opportunity, weaving even more shadows, as they were busy with sizing each other up and taking in the change of scenery. Maleficent’s eyes flicked to hers, making contact and lingering a few seconds. Than, creeping her out more than the mechanical porcelain doll, she gave a small smile and winked at Evie, who stood flabbergasted at the gesture. “God, she knows. Gods, she approves. Heavens, let them get out alive.” Evie thought as she felt the binds of her shadows grow stronger, an energy surge flowing through it from Maleficent’s position. 

“And thou thinkest thou can defeatest us? A mere dragonling dares defieth us, the Queen? Even without the aide of our friends, we wouldst moppeth the floor with thee, Maleficent Dn’Hugel. Stepped aside, old beast. We haveth no interest in thee or thy spawn. Although, we could useth thee and thy spawn in our menagerie. Oh, the things we could toyed with if we haveth banshee, Djinn, werewolf and dragonling. Such fun we could haveth-“ Before the doll managed to finish the sentence, a strong force yanked her off her feet, towards Evie who stood above the Cauldron now with arms wide open. Grounding her iron heels into the cracked ground, the Queen stopped herself and struggled against the shadows binding her towards the Cauldron. “Foolish pawn! Thou thinkest we can be bounded by shades? We are the shadows!” The last word was almost hissed, as smoke fell off the porcelain body and broke the bonds that held it into place. She erected herself and locked her luminous mechanical eyes with Evie’s. “If thou wished to die that much, we shall heartily oblige you.” She was moving to strike, hands more like claws as she went on. But ere her hand makes contact with Evie, the girl leaped aside as a blast knocked the doll directly against and half inside the Cauldron.

The flames leapt up, licking at the shattering porcelain skin and igniting the cotton fibres weaving throughout the feeble frame animated by dark powers. “Rule number one, sweetie, never take your eyes of a dark faery.” Maleficent moved again, sceptre held out as another blast hit the doll and rocking the Cauldron on its supports. “Rule number two, never threaten a mother’s children!” Another blast, this time from Mal, spinning the Queen around so she faced them with a half-destroyed face of cracked porcelain and exposed whirring mechanisms. Fire now crept along the mechanical frame as acrid smoke was billowing forth from it, rising to the ceiling of the high room. Faint music became audible once again, an echo from deep within the castle as the spirits came round for another debt. “Are you ready~” Another blast, from mother and daughter together, knocked the twitching and stunned thing almost completely into the Cauldron. The Queen started shrieking obscenities as her frame fell apart and the smoke contained within pursued precious freedom above entrapment within the Black Cauldron. “And lastly, rule number four.”

“Never underestimate the power of three!” Mal shouted as she and Evie locked hands with Jay, a powerful wave of magical energy surging through them, Maleficent aiding and feeding to it in a powerful feedback-loop. A last powerful knock, rocking the room itself and causing an avalanche of dust and rocks to fall down, forcing the Queen completely into the Cauldron’s belly. The previously smooth surface of the Cauldron’s small layer of water had begun to completely engulf the doll, creeping along the porcelain skin and pushing into every crack while pursuing the smoke within the frame that was trying to flee. As she shrieked a few more time, finally the last light of her eyes died out and a mechanical click signalled her death. All porcelain now gone, her bare skull, embroidered with mechanical parts, jewels and fibres, slowly sank below the surface, a last plop as it closes above it and the surface became smooth again. A sigh went through the room, as a hush is sounded far away. 

Evie stood shaking, Mal holding her upright and Jay holding onto Carlos by their side. Maleficent cautiously wandered over to the Cauldron, inspecting the smooth surface and tapping the belly a few times with her sceptre before she turned to face the teens. “Well, that got rid of the old hag. What’s next?” Still unsure at the moment what to think about all of this, Carlos, Jay and Evie remained silent. “Don’t worry, guys, she’s practically good now – at least, as good as she can be right now.” Mal tried to comfort them, a genuine smile on her face as she spoke. “Well, I wouldn’t say good, Mal, sweetie, but I can promise I won’t tear your faces off for betraying me during the Coronation.” Maleficent nonchalantly said as she inspected her staff and looked about the room boredly. A shiver went through Carlos as he remembered all too well his old fears of this faerie. Evie spoke up again and Carlos remembered what she said before. “Evie, don’t!” He stopped her before she could properly begin, turning his face to Maleficent and addressing her. “Is there any way to destroy the Cauldron without a person willingly stepping into it?” Maleficent pondered a few moments, deep in thought before she replied to the pale teen’s query. “Aside from sending it off into space and directly into the Sun? No, sorry kiddo, can’t say there is. It’s either hide it from everybody else, deep out of reach, or someone steps into it to destroy it permanently.”

“It’s okay, guys, really. It’s okay.” Evie said to the three others, Mal tearing up but nodding her head as Evie tried her best comforting them. She tried to hold herself together, as she needed to be brave and help them out, needed them to survive so she could destroy this accursed thing. “I know, E, but still. Don’t expect us to let you go this easily.” Mal laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks and dropped on the ground, Carlos and Jay sitting besides her and clutching Evie’s hand as each strengthened their resolve. “We won’t ever forget you, E. You can bet on that, how could we ever.” Evie chuckled weakly as she wiped her cheeks dry, letting go of Carlos and Jay’s hands before she gave them both a kiss on the cheek. “I know, J. I know. I love you guys. I’ll never forget you either. You stay strong, okay? Both of you!” She gave them a big hug and then stood up, walking to Maleficent and giving her the broken Mirror, its surface reflecting her azure eyes. “Can you give this back to my mom, please? And please be a good friend. She only ever had me, you know.” Maleficent slowly accepted the Mirror, looking at it thoughtfully and looking up at Evie with the smallest hint of a sad smile on her lips as she spoke. 

“I shall, child. Be brave.” She gave Evie a small final pat on the shoulder and went to join the others, draping her cloak about them and casting a protective spell. Evie climbed on top of the Cauldron and was waiting for them to leave, watching as the spell shimmered around them and slowly but surely obscured them from view. Jay focused on Mama Odie’s boat and a brilliant smoke started to envelop them. Carlos and Mal waved their last goodbye, tears rolling down their cheeks as the smoke completely enveloped them, obscuring them from view completely and finally leaving the room at incredible speed. “Goodbye, guys, I love you.” Evie said softly, lips trembling and looking down at the Cauldron beneath her, swallowing hard as she spoke her last words. “I’m coming, Doug. Hold on.” The final words wee firm, a promise across time, as she jumped up and fell into the darkness of the Black Cauldron’ infinity…

When Mal, Carlos and Jay opened their eyes, the first thing they notice was that they were on the boat now – before a blinding flash of light engulfed the entire Isle far in the distance and temporarily blinded everyone on board. A massive shockwave quickly hit the boat, rocking it in and its tree as the boom of the flash pounded their ears, instantly making everyone who heard it wince in pain. The blinding light had completely engulfed the Isle, every single last rock swallowed up by its expanding radius and disappearing into the brilliant shine in a matter of seconds. Warmth spread through everyone as the heat of the light reached them, each feeling alike they were standing in a harsh summer sun and making them look away. When the light finally disappeared and faded, everything seemed unaltered at first – till the first stones could be seen dislodging from the castle. More and more stones slowly fell, drawn downwards in slow motion before they tumbled into the depth of the castle, moved by an unseen force. Soon the entire castle begins buckling into itself, as if it was being drawn into a single point, sucked in and compressed to its maximum density. When the first turrets had completely decayed, the first trees were being uprooted as well and sucked into the vortex of tumbling stones and dirt. Quicker and quicker, the vortex grew steadily, until the entire islands was being broken up mercilessly –they watched as enormous chunks of rock, houses and all still on them, disappeared into the hungry void at its very centre. Within seconds, the entire island has been swallowed up and only a small amount remained tumbling through the air towards the vortex, before it exploded with tremendous force. Stones and boulders, the size of houses, were being propelled across the bay by the monstrous blow, crashing into the coastal waters and forest about it. Birds erupted from the woods all around, as the deafening roar reached them. So much water was propelled away that enormous waves tortured the cliffs and beaches, tiny tsunamis breaking against the earth. The massive hole, with small spires of rock still jutting upward from a momentarily uncovered seabed, quickly filled in with water as millions of gallons rushed in to fill the vacant void.

The roaring of the torrents of water falling and swirling reached them within seconds and the entire bay’s surface was churning to accommodate the massive displacement. It had begun and had ended in a matter of seconds, almost seeming more like a dream than an actually witnessed tragedy. But if it was, it was a nightmare in reality. Evie was truly gone, as were many other people who had been slain by the Horned King’s minions before the mass exodus had begun in response the Horned King’s anguished screams. Mal didn’t even want to know just how many died as finally her feelings overwhelmed her and she succumbed to them. Falling to her knees, she began crying noiselessly, hands covering her face as tears streamed down her cheeks and wetted her clothes. Carlos too finally broke, as he sobbed into Jay’s strong bare arms, back rocking up and down with the racking cries and noiseless wails. Others too were crying now, some due to loved ones being dead, others because they had just seen their entire lives go up in a flash – their houses and memories taken away completely with the Isle into an unknowable void. Others were cheering and yet others were simply staring blankly ahead of themselves, too shocked to say anything. And then there was Mama Odie, staring fixatedly at where the Isle stood before, as the last vortexes of water died down and the surface had begun calming down. Only when Maleficent joined her did anyone notice, dread and fear at the faerie being here suddenly being realized through all the chaos. But before anyone could say anything, Mama Odie spoke up and addressed all aboard.

“Now, dearies, calm down. Calm down! I know this is hard on y’all but we ain’t thru yet. Oh no, there’s still thing to be done y’all. So buckle up and hold unto yer butts, we still gotta pick people up, ‘kay?” As she made her way to the helm, hundreds of pixies quietly flew up from the crown of the tree, showering the boat once more under pixie-dust. Slowly the tree took off from the ground, its leaves still rustling in the winds brought forth by the undoing of the Isle. Busy gossiping began amongst those present, as the three teens joined Mama Odie and Maleficent at the helm. She gave each of them a firm hug before she spoke to them. “Now, losing someone ain’t ever easy, that’s true but it ain’t always what it seems. See, y’all, sometimes people go before it be their time. And at such times the rules can be tampered with, understand? Now I need y’all to be at yer best, cuz you gonna meet a whole lot of very powerful and important people, ya hear? Tis ain’t kings or queens, but gods, deities, beyond them even. So keep yer wits and be good children, okay?” The teens didn’t know what to do with this, looking rather confused at each other as Mama Odie left them to go console those in mourning. “Mom, what did she mean, ‘gods, deities and beyond’?” Mal queried Maleficent, who had been casually overseeing the forest beneath them as they passed over the cliffs and above the bay. She pondered a few seconds, looking rather disinterestedly before she spoke up. “Well, think, kiddo. What’s more powerful than a god? To which do even gods have to bow down, unable to change what it has in store for them?” Mal thought, a few minutes passing before she even dared wager a guess. “Fate? I mean, we have all these stories about gods, prophecies and their inability to prevent what was foretold – often even helping it along in their attempt to prevent it. The same for most of our fairy tales, no? ‘A tale as old as time’, clearly indicates it will always happen – it is destined to happen.” Maleficent smiled softly, barely noticeable in the fading light of the afternoon, as twilight began to set in. “Well reasoned, Mal. Seems my tutoring you all those years does pay off.”

“You got to be kidding, right? Gods can’t exist, can they?” Carlos interjected, overhearing their conversation, Jay tugging at his sleeve in a vain attempt to keep him silent and prevent Maleficent’s wrath from directing to them. “And why can’t they, pup? Would you not say the same of magic had you not known it all your life, its effect keeping you imprisoned yet nigh undetectable or improvable by your machines? Oh, don’t look so surprised, kiddo – you really thought I wouldn’t know what you were doing in that silly tree house? For my sake, you did punch a hole through the Barrier so I should’ve known, no?” Maleficent directed to Carlos, her eyes piercing his as she spoke and sending a shiver through his spine. His hairs were being heckled as she spoke, his inner wolf rising up in defiance to her power. But he knew she was right – if magic existed, than per sense so should gods. After all, fairies and fairy godmothers neared something akin to divinity in their power and control over magic. At the least, to uncultured tribes and simple people, they’d seem alike gods, with control over the world and all within it. Technically even Poseidon was a god, or he had been revered as one in older cultures. So did they exist? Well, he guessed they’d soon find out either way as he felt the boat lunge due a sudden updraft near the remains of the Isle. From here, even the few spires and stacks left were eerie and ominous. Had he not lived here prior for most of his life and seen its destruction mere minutes ago, even he’d believe nothing had ever been here but these. A dull ache pained his heart as he remembered what had been his childhood home, now irreparably gone forever into nothing. Even as Jay held him by the shoulders and their hands intertwined, a chaste kiss shared, the ache remained. “Remember when you tried to teach how to freestyle across the roof of the old warehouse?” Jay chuckled at the question, remembering how often the lithe teen had fallen flat to his butt that day. “Yeah, how shit you were at it too.” Carlos laughed, recalling just how hard Jay had laughed when Carlos had accidentally broken a mast and nearly broken his own leg. That and all those other memories, weaving in and out between the houses, going to school, stealing small trinkets in the death of night… All gone now, taken to another world altogether, leaving only a few rocks and some scattered driftwood. Only memories remained.

“Yer shouldn’t ponder over what ya lost, but what ya have, Carlos.” Mama Odie whispered suddenly behind the boys, making each jump up in surprise. She let out a hearty laugh at their response. “Ah dear, y’all got done bad stuff, yeah? What’s ya so afraid off? Old Mama ain’t gonna bite, ya know. At least, I can’t anymore. Except Juju got my teeth laying around maybe. Juju! Ya old snake! Where ya at?” Carlos chuckled at Mama Odie’s rant, quickly stopping the elderly lady before she’d hurt anyone. “No, no, Mama, that won’t be necessary. We don’t wanna see you with teeh, it’d be too creepy.” Jay nodded as he bumped Carlos on the shoulder, liking the teen’s snarky comeback. “Ya sure? Y’all might need the laugh. Ya can’t dwell on da past, boys. What’s done been done, no changing that. Well, except a few thing here an’ there maybe. What y’all need is friends, family and a good gumbo. Trust ya Mama, gumbo can cure any aches.” She said, with a wink towards them as she suddenly held up a pair of bowls with the stew, offering to them to eat. “Don’t ya worry about ya friends, they all got a bowl as well. Y’all gotta be fed and clothed ere we gonna see da higher powers that be.” She whispered soothingly as she left them to their supper, wandering off to some other group of people chatting nearby. Indeed, Carlos noticed as he looked about, many people had stopped their crying and were now quietly enjoying their gumbo, each a soft smile on their faces as other people spoke with them. The atmosphere had changed, as the tree was softly lowering down in the midst of the spires, its roots already touching the waters below. It settled with a noticeable shudder, roots forcing themselves in between the rocks beneath the water surface. Quickly taking root, the tree was firmly anchoring itself down in the seabed while many branches and leaves fell down due to the shudder. “There’s seedpods between the things falling down, you know.” Mal said as she joined the boys, leaving Ben in the care of a suddenly all too mothering Maleficent. “Mama Odie told me, the tree’s gonna take root and spread a big mangrove forest here. She says it’s needed, that something good has to grow here now to prevent it from becoming an evil place. Probably due to so many villains having lived here for so long, with such a powerful magic as the Barrier present alongside them.”

“That’s so cool!” Carlos beamed as he smiled wide, going to hang over the edge to watch the seedpods fall down. “Can we bring stuff here to plant it too?” He asked Mal, who just shrugged. “I guess. If she’s right, just trees ain’t gonna cope it, no? I mean, there’s been an awful lot of bad stuff gone down here, so…” He became quiet, lost in memories and thoughts. “We should plant apple trees.” Mal and Carlos looked at Jay, who merely looked back at them. “What? It was Evie’s favourite tree. It’s only right…” A small tear streaks down his cheek, nigh unnoticeable safe for its minute reflection of the fading sunlight. “Yeah, we should. That’d make her happy.” As they continue eating their gumbo, silence fell over the entire boat as the sun finally set and cast it last rays across the bay. Moments passed before several people suddenly began standing up and began whispering, pointing at an infinitesimally small point of light hovering where the castle once stood. “Ah, there she is. Right on cue.” Maleficent said as they all busily strained to see what it was. Only as it came closer and closer did the first details became perfectly clear. It had seemed to be a fairy, were it not for the fact that no wings were present or that she did not look like any fairy they’d ever seen. Indeed, no one could exactly say why, but something about the small figure struck them as alien, otherworldly, innately non-human. Mal however could feel it, a magic much greater than any she had ever felt, greater than Maleficent’s or Fairy Godmothers. “Greetings, mortals. An invitation has been granted you by the very Fates and Muses that guard your World.” The figure’s voice, eerily high and void of depth, sounded pleasantly as it spoke to them, relaying the message it had been given. 

“My name is Arietty, known to your World as Arête. I am the Spirit of the Good, of what is valiant, brave and just. I come to you from beyond the veil on behest of the deities that watch over your world. They are moved by the sacrifice of your friend and wish to speak with you, her loved ones. Do you accept?” As she spoke, Mama Odie had joined the small band addressed by the spirit and chuckled merrily. “Oh, they will, dearie. Just hop along, ye can bet they’re eager to see what’s in store.” The spirit merely nodded her head at Mama Odie’s words, waving her arms about as a seal began to glow alive around her. “Now, remember y’all, just step on through and be goodun’s, okay?” Mama Odie said to the group as the seal gave way to a glowing portal, seemingly welling up from thin air and pouring out into the world like a bubbling well. “When you’re ready, mortals.” Mal took hold of Carlos’ and Jay’s hands, nodding to both as they prepared themselves, each taking a deep breath and stepping through the portal to an unknown destination, a meeting with destiny...

When one dreams soundly in their sleep, sometimes the dream starts with you slowly yet softly falling. Sometimes it’s through a dark void, other times it is through a bright kaleidoscope of colours, yet other times it feels like falling past scenes long forgotten yet somehow vaguely remembered by something you once had been or would someday become. But always does it end in you righting yourself before you hit the ground, but never touching it. Always is there a split second of discordance between you falling and you standing in the dream itself, a ready actor for the events about to unfold. It’s all the trio can think about when they tried comparing the experience to anything else later in their lives, as they finally reached whatever other side there was. Where they then finally stood was incredibly surreal, somewhere between memory and fantasy yet neither. Before them, a vast natural landscape lay, flat yet extremely varied in topography. But ever did it seem to be changing, from second to second yet at the same time seeming ever the same as well. Where a mountain stood one second, a sea roared the next, followed by endless and ancient forest after that. Every time they dared to blink, it had all changed instantly. All, but the lake before them, which never wavered. At first it had seemed vast, but when they were nearer, it instead had seemed almost a pond – as if it grew smaller when near and larger when far. Between them and it stood eight figures, seemingly divided in a group of three and five. Mal could almost recall their names from somewhere beyond physical memory, as she began to take in their faces and carefully observed their ambient behaviour. But before any of them could speak, the figures raised their voice uniformly and began to address the teens gathered before them.

“Welcome, brave children, to the Plains of Elysium, where dream and reality gather in the bliss of afterlife for those brave and valiant. We have called you here for the celebration of our joining by as courageous and valiant a woman as your beloved friend, who had given her precious life to prolong thine own and give you time to life them out. Let us sing praise before we talk.” As she finished the sentence, the Muses gathered around and began singing a song of sorrow and fortune. Their voices rose loftily to the azure skies above, resplendid with pleasure and tinged with sorrow, as they began to speak of Evie’s birth under the glorious shine of Venus, her life’s path as guided by the lessons of Eros yet concluded by the valour of Athena and Eris, goddesses of wisdom, war and hunt. They applauded her unending support of friend and family, the value of blood of the covenant as greater often than the water of the womb. And as they concluded their chant, weeping of her final hours and last acts of bravery, tears were flowing freely from the cheeks of each present, singer and audience alike. They had ended their mourning chant and now had begun singing praise of her warm welcome in Elysium, surrounded by the gold of life and love, the splendour of nature and culture alike, where she would be heralded by poets daily and loved by princes hourly, prized by her patron goddesses and elevated above those lesser in living acting on Earth. “Unless-“

“Unless you wish her back, children! For what you have done, as one together, each in your own way, even the gods are grateful – for what would have happened otherwise would have been even their end! Yes, for after his holocaust upon the mortal soil had ended, the Horned King would set his eyes upon the very heavens above! And he would win! His armies, elevated by the power of the Cauldron and all those magical artefacts he’d have pillaged, would have ravaged the Gates and slaughtered the gods of Olympus and beyond! He would have the Heavens and the Earths, all of the Earths and Heavens, in his claws, ready for his moulding and amusement. Yes, he would have become All-Ruler, the last of all living things, a god of mortal make elevated above the ashes of reality upon a throne of bones! But this did not pass – thanks to you and yours! Our gratitude is boundless and without words…” The figures all bowed, Muses and Fates alike, arms open in grace and gratitude. “And for this deed of deeds, greater a victory than even those of Herakles and Atlas, the very rules of Destiny can be moulded, for once and never again after. We offer you, brave children, the life of your friend, fully restored and of full form, brave and valiant.” They stood aghast, watching the Muses in bewilderment as they spoke and being silent when their eloquent speech ended. A few quiet moments elapsed as the guests in Elysium breathed silently.

The very world was keeping its breath, as silence reigned in anticipation of the awaited answer from the children. Finally, Mal stirred, eyes regal and gazing straight upon the Muses and Fates, taking a single step towards them before she drew a long breath and spoke her mind. “Only if her soul mate is brought back as well.” For a moment, the figures did not stir, but all of the teens could swear each bore a faint smile upon their resplendent divine faces. “You ask much, when much has been offered yet. Why should we bring alive the boy as well?” The question was simple, its tone flat and tinged with curiosity, but it brought Mal on the edge of fury in less than a second. “Because he did as much as each of us! Because he paid the same price as Evie did, but in such gruesome a way it ought to nauseate even you! Because fair is fair and this is not fair! You can not bring back a single piece of a greater whole and expect that whole to be content! She would not be whole with him! And that would a greater sin, to bring her back alone, than it would be to tear her heart in half!” Mal’s words echoed erringly across the vast plains, washing over the goddesses before her and dissipating into the fragrant air as silence overtook the words once more. Jay and Carlos stood together, faces stern as they had watched Mal rant, listening to her voice almost yelling chillingly – while Ben and Chad stood behind her defiantly, each a hand on her shoulder as they faced the goddesses together with her.

“Five there stand, defiant against the Muses and the Fates, proud and brave – and also right. Indeed, it is as you say, child, to bring back one half of a pair is a worse crime than to kill both. For it was Zeus who made the first humans, of two minds in a single body, united eternally till he tired of their perfection and declared it a thing fit only for gods – thereby divorcing their separate minds in separate bodies and creating much conflict in your mortal realm. Perhaps, in our way, as an act of gratitude, we can undo more than a single wrong today! Two shall be brought back then. Two minds of a single heart! Anastèsasthe ènòmenoi, khòrismenoi apethanon!”

Mama Odie had begun busily talking with several of the greatest villains of the world currently on board of her ship when the kids left through the portal. She had been aching to talk with Maleficent for a good long while, ever before the faery had begun her rehabilitation, and she took the opportunity with full grasp now. She had talked with the tall woman for a few minutes prior to their arrival, but now she knew they’d be uninterrupted for a long while and, as she approached her while carefully tapping her cane along the floor in some ill-remembered tune, she heard the faery address her. “So, I gather you want to talk again, old woman? Why can you not leave me be, alone, in peace?” Mama Odie chuckled, her cane not quite accidentally hitting Maleficent’s shin – to which the faery cursed silently and rubbed the painful spot. “Oh, I wanna talk to ya alright, ya old hag. Ya think I ain’t gonna hit ya on da head with ma cane if ya be rude? Better wise up, Mal dear, cuz ya gonna talk da me wether ya want a’ not. Let us begin with ya youth then, eh?” She chuckled again, as she sat her down next to Maleficent and forced to dark faery into a seated position with her cane and aid from Juju, who dropped down from a branch high above, curling about Maleficent’s shoulders and settling to sleep on her. Maleficent was aching to hurl a fireball at the old blind hag for treating her like this, but restrained from it, reminded by Mal’s promise to love her no matter what. She felt guilty about the idea that Mal would be disappointed and sighed a heavy breath before she began indulging to old woman with her request. She began with her birth, who her parents were and how her youth had pined away in her nurtured wish of conquest.

When she finally began talking about the more well known facts, Mama Odie held up her hand and asked her to be silent once more. “We ain’t gonna dwell on past mistakes, dear, it ain’t right to remind ya self of all da bad stuff ya did. Ya changed an’ that’s da important part. We ain’t done yet, but I gotta talk to mah son over there. I can feel he ‘az come abourd and he’s got a stern whooping waiting. Excuse me, ya ladyship.” Mama Odie rose quickly and hobbled off, leaving Juju curled about Maleficent’s shoulders as the faery softly stroked the snake. Facilier saw her coming the moment she arose from her seat and was very silently tiptoeing away from her when a cane suddenly crooked about his neck and Mama Odie tugged him in front of her, his knees nearly buckling by the surprising strength of his elderly mother. “Oh, Mother! I didn’t see you there!” He said meekly, hoping he could get away via some simple excuse – he really didn’t want to have this confrontation today, maybe in just a few months or even years. “Oh, ya didn’t, did ye? Or are ya mayhaps avoidin’ lil’ old me? Tsss, ya make me wonder if I raised ya right. A obv’sly didn’t, c’nsiderin’ yer dark deeds an’ all.” He cringed, the words hitting the almost literal nail straight on the metaphorical head. “Come now, Mother, don’t say that. It wan’t yer fault.” He was falling into his old dialect again, nervous as he was by Mama Odie towering over him, despite her small stature.

“Ya say that, but da ya mean it? Ya just up an’ left all those years ‘go, with’ut a word! What was I da think, son? I felt as if I had failed ya. I know I didn’t, but it felt like it none da less!” Her voice was louder now, almost a soft scream, as she finished the sentence by whacking him on the head with her cane a few time. “I’m sorry, Mama! A didn’t mean da hurt ya!” He says rapidly, guilt and pain racking him as he says the word. Mama Odie stopped the whacking and looked down on him, her eyes hidden away by her dark glasses yet taking him in in their own way. “A know ya didn’t, son, but it hurt me still. Are ya gonna be a good boy now an’ stop usin’ da dark powers as yer own?” Facilier nodded weakly, his eyes downcast and averted from hers as she gave him a soft pat on the shoulders and helped him up. He wanted to say so much, share so many of the things he knew with her and share the feelings he had, of how bad he had felt in the beginning and had then forgotten about her almost completely. How his first contracts had stolen most of his memories and how he had traded them back with heavy interests years later. He had wandered a decade about the streets of New Orleans remembering neither his youth nor his mother and it tore at his heart now that he begun a new chapter in his life. Guilt had never been much of an emotion after he ran away, but now it seemed as if those years of absence were now bearing down all at once.

“Ya know I sense ya guilt, dear. No hiding it from lil’ old me.” He almost chuckled, lifting his eyes and looking his mother straight in the face. “I sure know, mother. I’m sorry I left all those years ago. Let’s start anew.” He was honest now, for one of those few times in his life, and his heart almost beat out of his chest when she smiled and nodded in eager agreement. “We sure will, dear, we sure will.” A hug was almost initiated when the fury that was Grimhilde entered the boat. “Where is the foul cretin which has taken my child from me?! Where is he? I want his corpse, anything of it! I’ll settle with even a toe, but I want it!” Her voice was louder than ever, a thunderstorm contained in human speech, as she headed straight to Maleficent, straight past Mama Odie and Facilier. Her eyes were livid and wide, lips contorted in such a snarl, as to make the very expression it was a variant of a mere imitation. Her posture was rigid, restrained with seething anger and fuelled by murderous grief. “He’s dead, Q, no use being angry at him anymore.” This reply by Maleficent did not soothe Grimhilde, who took the dark faery by her cloak and shook her vigorously and unafraid. “Then you bring him back, so I can kill him over and over again! I’ll grind his head to a pulp! Squeeze his intestines out of his mouth! Flay him alive and strangle him with his own skin!” Her voice was now a booming sound, simultaneously akin to a thundering storm and a raging torrent or tsunami. It was such a voice almost as primal as that of Gaia herself, full of pure intent and unrestrained portent.

Mama Odie was about to try and calm down the raging she-demon still so very human when the portal re-appeared, a bright light which shone like a brilliant star and hovering just above the deck of the boat. Grimhilde’s attention was taken away from the visibly shaken and concerned looking Maleficent, her focus seeking to identify what had interrupted her vengeful train of malevolent thought. Had it been just the portal and nothing else, Grimhilde might as well have moved on from that moment of curiosity but then a shadowy form appeared as the first traveller stepped through from the other side. None other than Genevieve “Evie” of Grimhilde, dressed in a brilliant pearlen-white chiton and with her deep-azure blue hair in knot above a shining gold stlengis. All strength instantly drained from the queen’s arms as she fell to her knees in sheer disbelief, as Evie finally found her in sight after scanning the deck. Running straight to her and flinging herself in her mother’s open arms, Evie began to softly cry as mother and daughter shared a moment of unspoken communication in which all was shared and said. 

“But how?” Grimhilde’s voice was barely a whisper, nearly inaudible to any but Evie. “I don’t know, mother, but they do.” She said as she turned about and watched the others pass through the portal behind her. Jay and Carlos exited first, followed by Mal, Ben and Chad. A few quiet seconds pass and finally a last figure stepped out, that of Doug. Mama Odie starts cackling in pure glee as everyone about the boat was still watching the scene unfold with mouths wide open and eyes popping in disbelief. “Oh, das good! Ya got dem, didn’t ya, Mal, dear? Goodness, I wish a cou’d’ve seen it! Ya hussled dem good!” Maleficent was first to approach the rag-tag group and softly laid her hands on Mal’s shoulders, speaking in hushed tones filled with admiration and pride as she addressed her daughter. “Finally, Mal, you have proven yourself. You stood up against the very Fates, against the gods and you won. I’m proud to be your mother from this moment and ever after.”

As the portal began to dissipate into thin air, an unearthly gleam filled the night sky as brilliantly rainbow-coloured auroras rended the vastness of starry expanse, illuminating all of Auradon in splendorous colours, as the very earth trembled underneath their feet and began to sing the songs of primal myth, a sound none that heard it could describe save as an example of penultimate auditory perfection, of beauty and grace flowing as sound. The trees whispered and gossiped for many months afterwards, as their slow rhythms of speech spread the tale of the twin resurrection all across the globe, into the farthest regions and most remote abysses, all the while as the sea sang splendour and valour about the deeds performed upon the ill-remembered shoals of the Isle of the Lost, now lost itself across time and space in a multitude of chaos and darkness, with in its very heart the tormented soul of a pitiful creature long due its death… Mermaids sang their hymns across all coasts bordering their domains, as centaurs read the heroic new tales in the altered skies and stars of the Heavens, which had been moved by the nigh-omnipotent hand of their well-beloved creators. Feasts and bacchanals were being celebrated in all grand halls of every castle across the face of the globe, as the news slowly but surely spread via word and scribe, each time grower grander and more fantastical as it passed from person to person. What began as a noble struggle against a powerful lich became, in the minds of artists and poets alike, a titanic war between the gods, their relative heroes and the very essence of Chaos and primal Darkness. As hymn, epic, tragedy and poetry were derived from the heroic tales, a new era began in recorded history, when villain and hero put aside former strife to defeat that penultimate evil, which was inferior only to the very beginning herself.

Many things changed, aside from the expected. All villains, who had aided in the defeat and assault upon the Horned King, were given their freedom in recognition of their selfishness and valour, while those who had dared aid him were rounded up, tried by villain and hero alike in fair trial and finally delivered each their respective and just punishment. A great many, enthralled by powerful magic beyond their control, were given slight offence, having to aid in reconstruction of what had been destroyed but not rebuild by magic, and afterwards aided in proper rehabilitation and reform. Those, who had a cardinal role in the war, were judged by no greater authorities than the gods themselves, put before a Tribunal led by the Fates and Muses themselves. Amongst these wayward souls was none other than Jafar himself, condemned by Athena, Eris and the Fates at the Grand Bazaar of Agrabah with approval of Sultan Aladdin and Jasmine, punished to wander the Arabian desserts for all eternity as a scorching wind of the Sahara itself, only to be released when he could turn his curse to gift and aid others with it. Even now, many hundreds of years later, a powerful wind still lashes across the vast dunes of the desserts outside of Agrabah, whining and crying in woe and sorrow at the time it has yet to wander in despair.

As for others, who had aided as catalyst but not as propagator, the Tribunal also decided. To Facilier, wayward son who had wandered so far away from his mother, the punishment of recollection was given, a full restoration of his memory and the stripping of all the power he had left, safe for his reading of the Fates through Tarot and the stars – in the hope he would use it not to swindle and befraud, but to aid and prepare those who wished them read. Indeed, he took this lessons by heart and gave readings only to those who could prove their fair right by good deed, aiding them in many quests that heralded the development and growth of the so-called Mythril Age, named so by the Gods as reminder of the mythic Golden Age they had begun. To Yzma and Madame Mim was given the punishment of fortune, designated by the Muses as now being the Sisters of Fortune, their task to help those who sought fortune yet needed change and transformation instead. Together, both as friends and soul mates, they settled in the newly born mangrove forest seeded and protected by Mama Odie on the site of the former Isle of the Lost. Indeed, they lived in the hollow of Mama Odie’s very own tree-boat, where Yzma used her knowledge of potion and brew to replenish flora and fauna worldwide, rejuvenating those species near to extinction and resurrecting those long gone by foolish happenstance and human error. In the course of time, this forest became the very beacon of Gaia herself, blessed by the primal earth and nurtured by the unending sea. There dwelled Gaia and Poseidon, with their children and their children’s children, amongst the gargantuan mangrove and myriad beasts. One can occasionally glimpse them still.

As for others, who had seemingly paid their dues, different tasks were assigned. To Ursu, formerly Ursula, was given the task of living a full life, a brief time upon the globe to be filled with good deeds, pure thoughts and honest words. And she did. Under the guidance of Aria and Harper, with Harper as her protector and the Kraken as her best friend within the ocean, she grew up to be what she always could have been, had Destiny been less cruel. In the end, she became the ruler her former had always longed to be, fair and just, after the long rule of Aria, Ron, Harper and Melody had come to an end when the first child of Ariel left this world and went into the next. Under their successive rule, Seaside became the global centre of oceanic trade and advanced aquaphonic farming. New islands were raised near it, in the end finally stretching from Auradon across the great ocean to unnamed lands and cities, a bridge made by just rule and honest thinking. Harper, with his Guardian the Kraken, became head of naval security for Auradon, ensuring the safety of the coasts and waters bordering their united states and nations. And when he finally departed, the Kraken departed with him, settling down upon the seabed near the Isle of the Saved, the foundation for the grandest and most beautiful coral reef ever seen by human and merpeople eyes.

Cruella de Ville, undone by her own blood and madness, came into the care of Hades himself, now reformed truly and ruling Olympus in fair understanding with his brothers Zeus and Poseidon. In his care, she was tasked to be confronted with each victim of her madness, beginning with the puppies she had so eagerly send to their deaths in her pursuit of a perfect pedigree-coat. Kerberos was introduced to her, with the task that she had to tame him without anger or pain. It took a few centuries, but he did eventually stop mauling her when she asked him to. Another few decades and she could finally make him sit on command. It is on good authority, so we heard, that she is currently teaching the creature to bring back sticks and roll over on command. We wish her the best of luck, for after this she still has many tasks to complete before her punishment shall be reviewed. She has been allowed visits from relatives, given on a soft whim to her by Hades himself, but one relative never came to visit till after her first century under Hades’ care had passed – when her insanity had worn out its physical origin and waned into nigh absence…

In the seat of Auradon itself, upon the throne of their united states, a new royalty ruled. Aided by Mal and Chad by his side, King Ben, first of that name, ruled Auradon and ushered it into the Mythril Age. Under his rule, almost all villains rehabilitated and the darkest chapters yet of their united history come to an acceptable and fair close. Together, this royal trio expanded the wealth and reach of Auradon beyond even their wildest dreams, as global alliances were established and solidified through mutual animosity and political unions. Twins were his legacy, both dark faeries but with his blond hair and blue eyes sometimes green. Later, when his rule was nigh decided, he and his were blessed by a third child, this time of purple hair and eyes green as emeralds yet thoroughly human. They all three survived him, his lover and their mother – ruling the kingdom afterwards in trio as did their parents. Under them, the Age went on for fully two centuries before they breathed their last breath under a blue moon and their descendants took up throne and sceptre.

Jay and Carlos retreated mostly from public view, yet they acted as legal guardians to their own children as they had been gifted them by blessing of Gaia and Eris herself. Their children, two boys and two girls, took after their parents almost like mirrors and between some of them building intricate inventions and others exploring ruinous temples to find trinkets, their blood continued for many more generations, each of their children marked by white-frosted hair and eyes that turned the colour of dessert sand in moments of emotion. Their combined legacy left its own mark upon the whole world, as long-forgotten gods were ushered in new life through their discoveries and technological strides were made with their inventions and discoveries in science. In the end, no one knows what happened to the pair that started this vast and nigh legendary family, but some rumour has it that, when their end neared closer every day at the closing of their lives, they parted from this life as a united whole by blessing of Zeus and the Fates – but where to, no one knows…

Evie and Doug, their love uniting two sides previously so thoroughly opposed to one another, began another one of the great lasting families, renowned world-round for their magical affinity. Many great Banshees now a day have familial and biological traces to the Blue Herald, as Evie became known after her death. From Doug, through his familial knowledge and specialty, a great mining dynasty was established, with footholds across many countries and owning many deep mines. Great shortages were soon remedied, by expert learning and keen senses. Hoards of noble metals, gasses and practical minerals were easily gathered during and after his lifetime, enabling the world to expand effortlessly and make great new scientific discoveries that aided knowledge and daily life. From them comes down, to the greatest rulers and rightful heirs, the fabled Azure Heart – an azure diamond as big as a human heart, a treasure beyond counting and a geological rarity beyond calculation. It is said that those, who are directly descended from this pair, that own it are given great bounty and are gifted the honour of having their timely deaths foretold by the Blue Herald herself, in ghostly form to wail for her blood and applaud its life. Their last direct descendant is now about to ascend the throne of Auradon herself, finally uniting their family and that of Mal and Ben after many generations of accidental separation.

The world knows many great stories, some more atypical than others, but each as wonderful and meaningful as the other. No story is better than any other one, but some stick better with their audience, without a doubt. Some are lost to the fogs of time and history, while others become engraved in stone and heart alike. The story I have told you, my dear audience, is indeed just one of a great many and I can not possibly hope to relay each of them to you. But I am not done yet, so don’t get up yet and stick around for a while longer. For there are many stories I can tell you before your own becomes one those which I shall share afterwards. All I ask, dear listener, is that you make your own story and make it a good one. Be yourself, walk your destiny and decided your own choices. I promise, that when it finally ends, I shall tell of it to those who come after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \------------------------------------Translations--------------------------------------------  
> "I swear to mother earth, to father sky, to grandmother fire!  
> I shall break your bones, bury your marrow, burn your flesh, erase your name!  
> Your existence shall be dust in the vastness of time, all shall forget your name & you will forever fade away!"
> 
> "Tha mi a 'mionnachadh gu mhàthair talamh, gu athair speur, a sheanmhair teine!  
> Bithidh mi a bhriseadh agaibh cnàmhan, adhlaic do smior, loisgidh 'ur feòil, sguab às an d' ainm!  
> Do bith bithidh duslach ann an vastness ùine, a 'dìochuimhneachadh a h-uile ni d' ainm & bidh sibh gu bràth seargadh air falbh!"
> 
> "Arise united, you who died as divided ones!"
> 
> "Anastèsasthe ènòmenoi, khòrismenoi apethanon!"
> 
> \----------------------------------Additional footnotes---------------------------------------
> 
> a chiton is a white dress, suspended by clasps above the shoulders and usually tied with a belt about the waist, over which the upper cloth falls and hides it from view. it is one of the oldest styles of classical greek fashion and is best known from the classical statues and reliefs.
> 
> A stlengis is a broad band of leather, gold and/or jewelry that adornes the forehead and holds hair out of the face. Best comparable to a circlet or tiara, but broader and less bejeweled.


End file.
